Full Metal Alchemist: Change of fate
by Karasu Hokori
Summary: This story contains spoilers! Beware, but, reading that if you wish to continue I won't stop you.Kara is a state alchemist known as the GoE... Chapter 10 is up!
1. Prophetic Dreams

_Chapter 1: Prophetic Dreams_

_A/N: This story has begun because of another that I have read, so all I can say is: Thanks for giving me the inspiration! I hope to have more of the story posted shortly, but I dunno if my schedule will permit me to be able to do that… anyway, sayonara!_

_Author's edit: I have edited several of the chapters, so if you want just glance through them to find the miniscule changes._

Kara sat up, breathing hard for what seemed to be the 3rd time that night. The dreams kept coming to her, always in the image of Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes's death. It happened every time her eyes closed to allow sleep to take her weary form into the land of dreams. She couldn't sleep more than an hour anymore and was incredibly frightened of going to sleep. Quickly she pulled herself free of her tangled sheets, sheets that had managed to snake themselves around her body as she twisted and turned in her nightmare plagued dreams.

She dove into the hallway where she was met by the Lieutenant himself, "What's wrong?" He asked worriedly, seeing the raw anguish that rested upon her face.

"N-nothing, just a bad dream, I was going down to get some tea." Kara looked at him and felt a shiver run up her spine as she saw his corpse lying near a phone booth I can't take this anymore... she thought grimly.

"I'll come with you-" He started rifling through his pocket until he pulled out a picture, "this should cheer you up, my daughter! Isn't she just so adorable? She's only just turned 3!"

Kara smiled softly at the image of a young girl, her smile faltered when she saw the image move, "Mommy, why are they burying daddy?" The tearful voice rang through her ears.

She ducked her head and pushed the picture away, "Adorable kid, Lieutenant." She sighed as he went off.

"I know! She is the most adorable little girl in the world!" He hugged the picture tenderly and danced in circles.

Kara turned and began walking down the hall, the heels of her boots clicked softly as she moved. Her black pants swished softly as she moved towards the cafeteria. Her deep, blood red shirt was wrinkled and twisted around her petit form; however it went unnoticed as she sank into deep thought. The type of dreams that she was having were so much like the ones several years back.

_Several years previously_

_Kara, at the time barely 10 years old was curled up into a fetal position on her bed, having just awoken from a horrible dream. Nobody was there to comfort her, her mother and father, both state alchemists, were out for the night, searching for a man who had been attacking both men and women. There was no trace of the man, but Kara knew her parents would find him, they always found the troublemakers. It was just, her dreams had told her that the man would kill them that night and she was frightened by the thought of losing them._

_Hurriedly she crawled out of bed and moved towards the door softly, the hall was dark so she moved towards the front door. As she made her way outside she heard the scream of a woman, a scream that meant the woman had faced death and lost. She ran towards the voice, heart pounding and terribly frightened of what she would see. Her legs gave way beneath her as she saw the man's shadow, the evil man stood over her father who held the corpse of his wife. Then his eyes lighted on her and grew wide, "Kara, run!" He cried out, "Don't stay here its dangerous!"_

_The man turned his face towards Kara and a grin crossed his face, "Daddy, what's going on!" she wailed, "What happened to mother!"_

_Hearing her call her father 'daddy' the man turned to her, and descended upon the quivering girl, "So, you are the daughter of this alchemist scum? Good… now he can watch both of his women die before he follows."_

_"No!" Kara wailed, sinking to her knees, "you leave my daddy alone!"_

_She could feel the alchemic powers swelling up within her at the sight of her mother's mangled form and her father's paling face, her eyes fell upon a gaping wound in his stomach and she knew that he would not live much longer. "No!" She wailed, climbing to her feet._

_Kara felt the control seep from her body, as though another person had taken control over her. She moved towards the man, her eyes cold and hard. A quick movement came from her, and suddenly she had drawn a circle and created a sharp weapon that impaled the man. She saw his eyes widen and he mouthed the words, 'you have learned alchemy?' before he collapsed into a bleeding heap._

_"Daddy!" She wailed, crossing to him, his eyes were wide as he looked at her with newfound pride._

_"My daughter, when did you learn alchemy?" he asked, coughing violently, spraying blood into his hand._

_"I- I studied your books, daddy, I studied them hard and learned in private, I was determined to make you proud of me." Kara choked out, "Please daddy, don't leave me!"_

_"I've always been proud." His hand touched her cheek and Kara could feel tears spilling onto her cheeks as it slid to the ground below. "Promise..." he murmured with his last breath, "not to attempt forb-" His words were cut short as the life seeped from his body._

_"No!" Kara wailed, running away from the scene, bent on bringing them back, she was not willing to lose her loved ones and she had learned of human alchemy through her father's multitude of books._

_She rushed into her house and pulled out items, items that would help her in human transmutation. She kneeled on her kitchen floor and drew an alchemic circle; she placed the articles in the middle before turning and drawing a similar circle and placing similar articles into the circle._

_Before she could talk herself out of doing it, Kara cut her hand and slapped both circles. A sudden bright light filled the room and she smiled hopefully, only then to feel a burning pain in her left arm, it started at the elbow and made its way down her hand, another pain filled right leg as her surroundings changed and she stood before a large door, suddenly filled with a great knowledge. "All that you wish to know is inside." A voice purred softly and the doors slid open, revealing a bright light._

_Kara, in awe, slipped into the room and moved foreward. The shadow of a figure appeared to her from a distance but she saw naught what it was before she was pulled back. "Please!" She cried, "Please, not yet, I'm so close to the knowledge that I seek!"_

_"That is all that you will see for what you have offered." The voice replied._

_Kara's eyes slid along her body and she gasped in shock as she realized that both her her left arm and leg were gone. The foot of her right leg was also gone as she was once more released to the pains of reality. She screamed in agony as she collapsed into a pool of some sticky, crimson substance._

_She saw two figures, grotesquely malformed standing over her as darkness claimed her. "No..." She murmured, "Father! Mother!" She knew no more._

_When next Kara awoke she was lying in the hospital, groggy and for a while uncertain as to why she was there before the events of that fateful evening slammed into her mind full force, revealing the gruesome scene to her. She stared at her missing limbs, bandaged with red stained gauze and she knew what she wanted. "Please." She called in an exausted voice, "I wish for... granny Pinako to fit me with automail."_

_"I don't think-" a voice began, but Kara cut it off._

_"I want them, have them made for me!" Her voice was soft but harsh, "Do not critisize me because I am a child, just get them without question!"_

_And so Kara was fixed with a new arm, leg, and foot._

_Present_

Kara still remembered that day, the day that her dreams had without a doubt come true. It was only a few months later that she had been able to move on her newly acquired limbs, and it was that day that she went to the military to become a state alchemist, the day that she started her search for the fabled Philosopher's stone.

Before she knew it she had stepped into the dining hall and had a mug of tea clutched in her hand, "When did I get here?" She asked herself curiously, seating herself at one of the various empty tables.

She was determined to keep Lieutenant Hughes alive, at all costs. The homunculus would fail in their quest to destroy him, she would make sure of that. Tiredly Kara sipped at her tea, feeling the familiar tears prick at the corners of her eyes. Angrily she swiped them away, after all there was no need to cry, not when she would prevent the happenings that would take place a short time from now.

"What are you doing here?" The familiar voice of Edward Elric reached her ears.

"I couldn't sleep." She murmured, looking at him, "and you?"

"Same… tomorrow we're leaving central." His comment came so casually that Kara agreed before she realized it.

"Okay." She murmured, taking another sip of her tea, "I'll be ready."

Her casual tone startled him, "Alright Kara, what are you hiding?" He asked in exasperation.

"Nothing." Kara smiled falsely, "I just know that- we are closer than ever to finding the Philosopher's stone than before, we'll get the key soon."

"I know." Ed stood before her now, his eyes shining with anticipation, "We'll all get it, the three of us will be able to return to our original bodies and get on with our lives."

"You should get to bed Ed, I'll be right behind you, no worries." Kara chuckled softly, downing the last of her tea.

The two made their way to their rooms and soon Kara was curled up on her couch, waiting for the day to come, the day that would end her nightmares. The sun rose slowly, and by the time it's rosy light had fallen on Kara, she had dozed off, pitched back into the nightmare that had plagued her for so long… "Kara!" A fist pounded on her door, causing the startled girl to fall into a cursing heap just before it.

"What?" She croaked angrily, pulling herself to her feet and pulling the door open.

The disgruntled girl stepped back as Winrey barged in, "Sorry, just thought I'd... like to check your automail..." She smiled mischievously.

"What are you doing Winrey?" Kara asked nervously, "You've got that look in your eyes again…"

"What look?" Winrey's smile grew wider as she descended upon a rather helpless Kara with a monkey wrench, "I just want to make sure that nothing will break on you…"

Kara glared at her, "It's because of what happened to Ed isn't it? Have you checked his automail yet?"

"No..." Winrey sighed, "But I made sure to put all the pieces together this time... there will be no accidents... besides, I owe you thanks for saving his life- even if it was nearly at the cost of your own..."

"Yeah…" Kara fingered the bandage on her chest, "He would have died otherwise, when facing the suit of armor, although it was an unlucky break that Envy- mp…" She realized that she had said too much and turned her head, fist shoved into her mouth to keep her quiet.

"Who is Envy?" Winrey looked at her sharply, "Was that that strange man that gave Ed to us?"

"N-no!" Kara stuttered, feeling like a fool, "that was some other guy..."

She watched in horror as the base of the suit of armor stood and moved silently towards an unsuspecting Edward Elric who was trying to learn information of the Philosopher's stone from the head. "Ed!" A strangled cry escaped her lips and she ran towards him, pushing him only slightly before the sword was shoved into them- missing vital organs by mere inches.

They had shortly struck down the body, and had only just begun to question the armor before it was shattered by an unknown presence. "So, Full-metal pipsqueak, we meet at last!" The voice rang out behind them and instantly Ed lashed out.

"I am not so small that you can only see me through a high powered microscope!" He shouted.

The only thing that had saved his life then was the error in his automail. His arm had fallen uselessly to his side, and the one called Envy had kneed him harshly in the stomach...

"Okay, you're all checked and I haven't found any problems with your automail... now then, we're off to the train station!" Winry brought her back to the present and Kara shook her head to clear it.

Excitement filled Winry's voice, Kara stretched and followed Winrey out to a car that waited for them. Before they knew it, the two were at the train station.

_A/N: So… what'd you think? Was it good? Review for me guys and I'll post the chapters quicker…_

_Chapter two: On the train, leap of faith…_

_Kara is on the train when it dawns on her that this is the night that Hughes is killed, in one faithful leap she jumps from the train to the surprise of the others… What'll happen? Tune in next time to find out!_

_Anyway, I will be very happy to recieve reviews containing good comments, or constructive critism, I don't want the random crap, if there's something wrong, tell me and I'll do my best to fix it._


	2. Chapter 2: On the Train Leap of Faith

_Chapter 2: On the Train; Leap of Faith_

_A/N Well, here's chapter two, and I must say that I'm very appreciative to at least have 2 review, I hope to get more soon! (BTW, review responses are at the bottom) I am revising- if only just a little- all of my chapters, be sure to skim through them so that you can catch what I've added- only if you want to of course._

Kara stared blankly out the window as the train left Central; she hadn't meant to leave, not so soon anyway. What if it happened while she was gone? Kara would never forgive herself if Hughes died. "Why are you so quiet, Kara?" Alphonse, Ed's younger brother asked.

Kara smiled softly, "I guess I just don't have much to say today, besides I'm tired today." Her gaze rested upon the hills, carved into the earth, that rolled by as the train moved swiftly, unhindered along the track.

"Well, maybe you should just take a nap like big brother." Al said, indicating the lightly snoring boy beside him, "after all, in order to gain strength and clear focus, one must be well rested."

Kara shivered and frowned as she looked at the also napping Winry, "I can't go to sleep, Al." She murmured, her forehead creasing slightly in discomfort and annoyance.

"Why not?" He shifted forward and looked at her, "You've been awake rather often lately, what's troubling you?"

"It's just that… I've had horrible nightmares lately, Al." Kara waved her hand, indicating that the discussion should end, but Al wasn't willing to leave it at that.

"What kind of nightmares?" He asked.

"The homunculus." She whispered so softly that Al couldn't hear her, "they plague my dreams, now drop the matter."

"Alright!" Al gasped, "don't take it out on me, Ed would kill you if he found out that you dismembered me, willingly or unwillingly."

"Oh! Sorry Al… I didn't mean… I mean that-" Kara stuttered, releasing the power once more tothe air, apologizing several more times before she seemed satisfied that she had been forgiven.

"I know, but you can't go getting upset when there's metal nearby." Al said, laughing lightly, "You could end up derailing the train."

"Al! That's not funny!" Kara's face paled considerably, "What if that had really happened? Would you... would you laugh then, when you emmerge, alone,uninjured?"

"No, it's not." The boy said soberly, "I'm sorry."

"Sh, we'll end up waking up the others." Kara put her fingers to her lips to indicate silence as she drifted back into her own muddled and deep thoughts.

She sat there for what seemed like hours before her eyes began to drift shut, flashes of a corpse came to her mind and she felt her body paralyze with fear as the homunculus turned towards her, not seeing her as he moved through her body and down the street, "Hughes!" She screamed, kneeling by his side, "Why did they come after you? Why you damn it!" Her eyes turned to the disappearing form of Envy, "I'll kill you for this you bastard! I'll kill you!"

"Kara!" A voice pierced through the black void as a date showed up in her mind, a date that caused her heart to race. "Kara, wake up"  
She now recognized the voice as that of Ed, shaking her violently as the other passengers in the car stared at her as though she were crazy. "Ed, what's wrong?" She croaked through her oddly hoarse throat.

"What's wrong! What's wrong! You were screaming like there was no tomorrow, what's wrong with you?" Ed said in exasperation, "the other passengers seem to feel that you have lost your mind, and I'm half inclined to agree." His voice softened, "What's wrong?"

"I-I'm sorry Ed." She whispered before leaping through the closed window, feeling the glass tear into her tender flesh, merely adding to her collection of wounds.

She stood dizzily, cut and bruised, on the tracks and began to run for all that she was worth, she had to save him and only had a few hours in which to do so, lest she fail in her mission and be forever haunted by his face, as she was by that of her parents. Kara wheezed heavily as she ran throughout the day, sweat glistened on her face and caused her hair to stick to her neck, cheeks, and forehead.

"Hold on just a little longer, please Hughes, just hold on!" She exclaimed wildly, putting on an extra burst of speed as she hit the outskirts of town, and made her way towards the military base.

Her legs became jelly-like and her vision began to swim as she finally found the phone booth, only to find her dream becoming a strange, twisted reality. "Hughes!" She shrieked as the gun was pointed at him.

Anxiously she ran and shoved him hard, too late as the bullet grazed the top of his head deeply and bounced off of the telephone booth and into the night. The older man collapsed before her, hitting his head off of the concrete, hard, and Kara felt the tears well up in her eyes as Envy turned to leave, a triumphant smirk upon his face, "You bastard!" Kara shouted, feeling her power surge as the street lights exploded around them, "Why the hell did you have to do it, why!"

"He simply knew too much." Envy smirked at her teary eyes as her eyebrows knitted together in fury a strange and frightening look upon her face.

"Knew too much! He didn't know anything!" A ghost of a smile graced her lips.

"Of course, I do however." Her voice was deadly soft, and her eyes glinted with a strange, determined light.

Envy glanced her over, "Liar." He said at last and turned again, "I haven't the time for this foolishness."

"I don't lie!" Kara's voice grew louder, "It's about the President, isn't it? He's one of you, and seeking out the Philosopher's stone for his own twisted purposes."

Envy turned back to her, "and when did you figure this out?" He asked curiously, for the last he knew... she had known nothing, in fact she had been as clueless as the full metal pipsqueak.

"Back when the dreams started." She said thoughtlessly damn… that's the second time she'd done that, revealed a secret that was meant only to be known to her, lest it be twisted to some dark purposes… baka.

Envy smirked and took on the image of Hughes, nearly causing Kara to collapse with grief, "And what dreams would those be, child?"

"None of your damned business." Kara turned her face away defiantly as he moved closer to her and grasped her chin, wrenching it in his direction.

"Can you see the future or something?" He scoffed disbelievingly.

"Do you think that I can see the future?" Kara asked playfully, her eyes dancing as she yanked his hand from beneath her chin and stood straighter, "That's like asking if I believe in the homunculi..." The latter was said in the same soft voice that she had used with Alphonse earlier that afternoon.

He stroked his chin thoughtfully, "I don't know... but maybe father does, I can't have you out here predicting what I'm about to do, it would be... troublesome to say in the least."

With that he grabbed her wrist tightly and began to drag her down the street, even as she struggled to pull away. As they moved street lamps shattered, the steel holding them twisting towards the struggling duo as they moved. Envy stopped only when Lust strolled angrily towards them, "What's going on, Envy? Did you kill him? And why are you with this girl, isn't she one of the sacrifices?"

Envy rolled his eyes, "he is dead, and… this girl is a threat, she nearly saved that foolish bastard, but I want father to see her… she just might be able to see into the future… maybe that could be twisted to our advantage."

Lust glared hard at Kara before consenting to Envy's wishes. "Maybe, however, merely walking her isn't a good idea." She said pointedly, indicating the broken lamps, "She could lead the military to us, and that would be very troublesome indeed."

"You're right!" Envy gasped as though only just realizing it.

His smirk was the last thing that the horror-filled eyes of Kara saw before a brilliant pain lanced out in the back of her skull and the darkness claimed her.

_Early the next morning_

The man awoke with a splitting headache and several deep gashes upon his head. He stood dizzily, looking around and wondering where he was. What had happened? He stumbled towards a lit building, leaning heavily on the structure of the door frame, breathing heavily, and watching in shock as several droplets of crimson splashed upon the glass strewn concrete.

"Hello?" he called woozily, "Is anybody there?"

A young, mousey woman came to the door, "Why Lieutenant Hughes-" She gasped, taking in his battered appearance, "your wife has been so worried, she called at least a dozen timeslast night to see if you were still here, where were you?"

"Hughes?" He said wonderingly as the image of a woman with short blond hair shoved itself into his mind, "Who's that?"

"Oh, ha-ha, very funny." She said softly, and yet wide-eyed, "What happened to you by the way lieutenant?" She asked, taking in his battered appearance with shock.

The man swooned as he stood straighter, nearly collapsing as blood ran into his burning eyes, "Who are you?" He asked.

"I-it's Scieszka." The girl replied shakily, stepping forward, "Somebody help! Lieutenant Hughes is injured!" Her voice was shrill with worry as the man swayed before her, a look of utter confusion uponhis bloody face.

Instantly there were several lower class soldiers helping to support the man, they soon had him in the infirmary, where he was bandaged and allowed to sleep on a comfortable bed. His dreams were haunted by the face of a strange girl, shoving him to the ground, and then- everything was blank.

When he awoke the next morning, there was a man seated beside his bed, dressed in a blue uniform. He appeared to be habitually messing with his gloves, gloves that had a symbol on the back, "Hughes!" The man gasped in relief, seeing that he had awoken.

"Who are you?" The bedridden man croaked, "why does everyone keep calling me Hughes?"

The other man's face fell as he realized that he had been told the truth, his friend, the man that had promised to be by his side when he himself was in need, and to help him get to the top, had amnesia. "Hughes, it's Mustang." He said, managing to keep his voice from cracking, "Who did this to you? Tell me!"

The man called Hughes looked troubled for the moment, and then the image of a girl appeared in his head, "It was a girl… she was young, perhaps 15 at the most. She had dark- black- hair that was tied up and blue eyes with a white ring around them." He had described the girl perfectly, and could see that in the way that Mustang's jaw dropped.

"But- why would Kara hurt you? She cares about you." He seemed shocked before the anger took hold, "I can't believe that she did that, I will find her and make her pay for what she did to you, Hughes, I swear it."

_A/N Well, another chapter, I hope that you liked it, and I hope to get more reviews shortly!_

_Chapter 3: Kara's escape… encounters of the bad kind…_

_Kara manages to get away from the two homunculus, but who better to run into than Roy Mustang and Scar themselves? Will Kara be able to survive? Find out next time!_

_LadyRiona: Thanks for pointing that out to me… I had thought that I seeded all that out, but I guess not… anyway, I hope to hear from you again!_

_Jackie(Ed's secret lover): Thanks for reviewing, I'm glad that in my revision there was another and I hope that you continue to read my work._


	3. Chapter 3: Kara’s escape… encounters of

Chapter 3: Kara's escape… encounters of the bad kind… A/N: Yay! I got more reviews for this chapter, I'm so very happy! cough anyway, on to the story, and don't forget to review on your way out! Oi... I have written and rewritten this chapter so many times... and I am hoping that this one works out...

Kara sat dejectedly in the corner of her prison, her arms were wrapped around her legs and at times she found herself drifting into unconsciousness, no matter how hard she struggled to stay awake. It was only when her head jerked back that her eyes would snap open. Every fiber of her very being was tired, how long had she been here? An hour? A day? A week? The time seemed to pass slowly by, an endless torture by her standards. She sighed heavily at last and dragged herself to her feet, bent on getting out of this hellish place before it drove her mad. There was no need to sit and feel sorry for herself, she had to get to Colonal Mustang before it was to late, she had to tell everything that she knew. Kara couldn't hide the information anymore, afraid that somebody would get hurt, because it had already killed one man.

Her fingers brushed the grimy walls, searching for a weak spot so that she could escape without notice. Finding none she went directly to the vent and was thankful for her slight build. The entrance was cramped and Kara was forced to slither along on her belly, careful not to make any noise with her metal limbs. Even so, there was a constant, dull thud that made her cringe and still herself, praying that she would not be found. Her stomach growled loudly, telling her that it had been a while since her last meal, she absolutely refused to eat anything that they gave her, fearful that it was poisoned or sedated. Her arms became shaky and she was about to give up when she fell through a chute that threw her out into an alleyway. Kara slammed into the wall, only just managing to avoid injury by propelling herself off of the wall with her hands.

She landed gracefully and silently on the desolate asphalt, unsure of which way to go now, but knowing that she had to choose quickly, they would figure out that she was gone, there was no time to waste. Kara brushed herself off and ran swiftly to the left, her heart thudding in her ears as her feet moved swiftly and silently.

It wasn't long before she wandered into a street and barely managed to escape a car that had sped past, horn blaring as she dove to the side, "Watch where the hell you're going!" Kara shouted, shaking her fist at the disappearing headlights.

A string of curses could be heard from the driver as Kara continued breathlessly on her way. "Kara Takahashi!" The voice cut through her mind coldly, "The goddess of the elements?"

Kara stopped and turned to the man that stepped out of the shadows. The man had a cross shaped scar on his face and he had red eyes, "What is it?" She exclaimed, "If you can't tell, I'm kind of in a hurry..."

"It is the will of god that you perish now. I will give you a moment to pray to him." He stepped closer to her and Kara felt her heart jump to her throat.

"Excuse me!" She exclaimed, taking a shaky step back, "you can't pass judgement on me you bastard. Besides! I have to get to Central, it's urgent, can't this wait just a little while? I mean... I'd be willing to fight with you tomorrow or something, just not now!"

With those words she made an attempt to run past him, only to feel his hand tightly clasp her arm, a bright red light filled her vision and suddenly the shirt she was wearing had torn all the way down the arm. She was thankful then for her automail, "So, you too have an automail limb, just like the full metal." He replied, releasing her arm as she swung at him with her other fist.

She leapt backwards, out of the way of his approaching, glowing hand. His hand grazed her skin, and the outer flesh was disintigrated. Kara fell to the ground and bounced bakwards before rolling to her feet and wiping the blood from her lip. Her gaze only wavered as she heard Envy's voice carry to her from some distance away, "She's gone!"

"I don't have time for you, Scar." She hissed, "They'll find me if I stay, I don't have time for this!"

Her face paled as she struck the man across the face and put on a burst of speed, running down the empty street and away from both Scar and Envy. The barren street mocked her attempts at escape as her feet pounded heavily on the concrete.

Storefronts flashed by in a blur as her speed increased greatly. It wasn't long before she could recognize stores and knew that she wasn't far from the Central military base. Of course, as her thoughts wandered, she didn't see the angry man that stood before her until she heard the telltale snap of his fingers and her body was engulfed in flames.

Kara cried out, and instantly the flames had vanished from her searing skin, "M-Mustang, what're you doing?" She gasped, "It's me, Kara!"

"Kara, eh?" He spoke every word with venomous hatred.

"What's wrong?" She questioned, "Why are you attacking me?"

"You know what you did to Hughes." He spat, preparing to snap his fingers again, in hopes of burning the life out of the girl before him.

"Me?" She squeaked, "I did nothing! I tried to protect him and then-" Her words were choked off as her body was once more engulfed in the burning flames, she fell to her knees, clutching at her body, "Colonal, why?" She cried out, feeling her eyes fill with tears as sweat poured from her heated flesh.

"He told me who it was that hurt him." Mustang growled.

"He- he's alive?" Kara somehow found the energy to look at him, "Then he wasn't killed?"

"Ah, to bad for you, huh? He told us who hurt him, now, die!" Mustang's voice was dark and forboding to Kara's ears as he attacked her again.

More flames joined their brothers, although Kara's flesh would not melt or burn, the heat was stifling, slowly suffocating her. "Mustang! I -didn't do it!" She cried out, squeezing her eyes shut, "I would never have killed Hughes, ever!"

The angered man paid no heed to her pleas, she had hurt his friend and must now die. It was then that Scar chose to attack the alchemist. Mustang turned just in time to ward off the attack and Kara was left in a gasping, pain filled heap as the two battled above her. Occasionally she would catch a glimpse of fire or a red glow. Somehow she managed to pull herself precariously to her feet and tackled Scar, the two rolled down a rather steep hill, landing in a breathless heap at the bottom. "Why can't anything go right for me tonight?" She moaned, pushing him away from her as she slowly dragged herself to her feet.

"Kara, you shouldn't run away like that." Envy was leaning against a tree, both Lust and Gluttony behind him.

"Damn it!" She exclaimed, slamming her fist into the nearest thing, which, unluckily for him, turned out to be Scar.

He fairly flew through the air, and deeper into the woods as she glared at the three before her. Knowing that she had nothing to lose, Kara leapt at the three, tackling them to the earth. She felt her muscles strain as they fought back, soon she was held firmly by both Gluttony and Lust. Her hate filled eyes stared at Envy as he approached her. "Let go, damn it!" She cried struggling against their grasp, "I would never go with you! You- hurt Hughes!"

"Now-" A burst of flames interupted Envy as Mustang tore down the hill and grabbed a rather surprised Kara by the collar, leaping into the fast moving current of a river.

The two were swept downriver, Kara found herself drifting below the surface, yet she did nothing. Her muscles were exhausted and would not adhere to her wishes. She watched as the last of her precious airbubbles rushed to the surface, and a gloved hand rushed towards her face before the darkness took hold and she knew no more.

It was several hours later that she awoke, lying on the shore with a fire warming her rather numb flesh. Mustang sat some distance away, staring at the sky, "You- weren't the one that attacked Hughes?" He asked uncertainly, not daring to look at her as she rose into a sitting position.

"No." She said simply, "It was Envy- one of the humunculi. He did that to him and then kidnapped me."

"Why did he hurt Hughes?" Mustang's gaze fell on her and Kara felt herself shiver unconsciously as she stared into his now emotionless eyes.

"Because Hughes knew-" She closed her mouth quickly, "a secret that they didn't want to have revealed." She finished at last.

"What did he know?" He asked.

"Didn't Hughes tell you?" Kara looked at him curiously.

"He- has no memory of what happened." Mustang sighed and stood, "We ought to be heading back towards Central, they'll be sending out search parties if I don't get back." He paused for a moment and looked back at her, "I'm sorry for attacking you."

Kara waved it off, "Don't, you only did it because you thought it was me that hurt Hughes." She felt her muscles constrict painfully as she made to follow Mustang and cringed, "You were defending one of your dear friends, I can't hold that against you. I probably would have done the same thing in your shoes."

He, however, didn't notice her cringe as he began to push through foliage, "How long has it been?" Kara asked softly, "since that day that Hughes was found?"

"It's been nearly two weeks." Mustang said, "It was only the day before yesterday that I found you."

Kara felt her stomach growl painfully as she followed. The two walked all day and far into the night before once more they were back in civilization. The Central base loomed before the two suddenly and Mustang pushed through the front door. "Colonal!" A voice cried in relief, his gaze slipping to the pale girl behind him, "Where have you been?"

"There were some... complications." Mustang said, waving it off, "The GoE needs some medical attention." He said after a moment of silence.

"I'm fine!" Kara exclaimed as he turned once more to face her.

"Are you kidding? Have you seen yourself lately, you are definately going to see the medic right away." Mustang exclaimed.

Kara sighed in defeat and allowed herself to be led to the doctor. He scrutinized her for a while, looking at her slight figure and the wounds that she had accumulated before speaking, "It is a wonder that you are even alive." He said at last, forcing her to lay on a bed as he cleaned and stitched the wound on her stomach and applied aloe to her burns, "you are half starved, burned rather badly, suffering from fever, and your lungs are full of water."

Kara grew drowsy right about then, as he inserted a needle into a vein on her arm, "You should sleep now." His voice grew muddled as her eyes drifted shut at last, leaving her in a peaceful, dreamless sleep.

The physician then moved softly out of the room and towards Mustang's office, per prior agreement. "So?" The man asked as he walked in.

"The girl's condition is not good." He replied, going through the list of her medical woes, "It would be a wonder if she survived the night with such a high fever, the girl is truely stubborn, holding onto her life as she is."

Kara managed to pull herself out of the clawing sleep and sat up breathing heavily, coughing furiously. She noticed the water that fairly flew from her chaffed lips, and felt a relieving lightness in her chest as she lay back down, wiping her chin and grinning softly. She sighed heavily and stood, dizzily, for a moment, stretching her aching muscles. Kara shivered in the bitter cold, wishing that she had stayed under the warmth of the covers. She wandered to the sink and ran the water, sticking her face under the cool spray. Again she shivered as she stood and wiped the water from her face, sighing at the relieving cool that was left on her face. Kara yawned quietly, feeling her jaw pop as she made her way slowly back to the bed. Quickly she crawled under the covers, pulling them tightly around her freezing form before exhaustion took over once more and she drifted back down into the depths of sleep, no matter how hard she struggled, she could not resurface.

Mustang rushed into the room around midnight, there had been a loud comotion and he had been called in. He gasped in wonder as a blinding light filled his eyes, the light that originated from Kara as she slept soundly on the bed. A strange, red substance was spilt over her exposed flesh. It seemed to be melting into her body as the physician cowered below her bed, away from the raw power that escaped her body. "What happened!" Mustang shouted.

"I- I was given this substance by another doctor that said this stuff could cure anything if poured over the flesh of an alchemist." the man said, grasping a small vial tightly, when it shattered he merely stared at the streak of red that welled up and fell to the previously clean porcelaine floor that he stood on.

"This..." Mustang gasped, "Is the unfinished form of the Philosopher's stone!"

A hand fell on his shoulder and Mustang turned to see- both Ed and Al standing in the doorway, "Colonal, what's going on!" Ed exclaimed.

"We need to make this stop!" Mustang told them, "before she destroys the building!"

A/N

Well... XP I'll end this here, hope that you liked it, remember to review for me!

Chapter 4: The Black Rose

Kara is lying in her bed, when a single, black rose falls from the ceiling, unbidden. What is the significance of this rose, and why does it strike fear unto her heart? Find out next time!

Review responses:  
miroku-has-darkness: Thanks! And here's the update XP

LadyRiona: hehe... the misunderstanding has been cleared. And yes, Hughes has amnesia... anyway, thanks for the review!

Tsunade-chan: I chose the name because... well, at the time for some reason I was thinking of a Kitana, and that name came to me. XP And stories are more fun when they are full of twists. Having Hughes die made me bawl... so, I had to write something where he survived. It was great to hear from you! 


	4. Chapter 4: The Black Rose

_Chapter 4: The Black Rose_

_A/N Well, after a few minutes of writer's block I was able to begin this, I hope that everyone enjoys it, and remember to review! Now then... I'll stop babbling and let you guys read._

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Full Metal Alchemist, so far just my character Kara :P Though someday I plan on luring them here for the promise of cheese and then they'll be mine, just you wait!_

_Sometimes things that are meant to happen never come to be. There is a hiccup in the universe, and one learns the event in which something terrible happens and are thus enabled to prevent it. Dreams are special to those that are young. Dreams allow one to keep living, they give one a reason to live. Dreams can help one to forsee events that are otherwise unpreventable, and these prophesized dreams aren't given to just anyone. They must be earned, by one who has either committed a selfless deed or are pure of heart. One who has not seen the world as it is and is full of hope, one who, in the end, has a crucial part of their lives torn away without warning. When something sour occurs to one so very innocent, this is when the hiccup occurs, the hiccup that can change the course of history. Dreams, such a simple and yet complex thing. Can they really bear such importance?_

_Heh... a little semi-explanation for the reasons of Kara's strange, and prophetic dreams... I really don't know where the idea came from..._

Kara opened her eyes slowly, unwillingly. The instant she did so the painful, throbbing glowing stopped. Every once in a while a spark of energy could be seen, she could still sense the unimaginable power on the air, see the destruction that it had done. Slowly she attempted to sit up, only to be forced gently back down by the good doctor. "What happened?" She asked in a cracking voice.

"You were exposed to the philosipher's stone." Mustang said from the doorway, "it was a good thing that you awoke when you did."

Kara's eyes fell on the two figures standing behind Mustang, "Ed? Al?" She whispered, "What're you doing here?"

"We found out some new information on how to get our bodies back." Al stated quickly.

"Yeah!" Ed continued excitedly, "we believe that Al's body was not, in fact destroyed because of some new evidence that has come up, and maybe, just maybe, our limbs were not destroyed either!"

"That's great." Kara said, though no sign of enthuisiasm entered her words.

"By the way, what happened Kara? Why are you here?" Ed asked, moving towards her.

"It's just that... well, I had an off day the minute that I set foot back into Central." She said, attempting to dismiss the subject on a semi-humorous note.

"And-" Ed tapped his foot rather impatiently, waiting for her to continue.

At last, sighing, she did just that. "Well, as soon as I made it to Central, I saw that Hughes was being attacked by that homunculus and attempted to help him when that same homunculus kidnapped me. I had only managed to escape when I ran into Scar... we battled for a while before I managed to run off and-"

"And thinking that she was Hughes' attacker, I attempted to kill her." Mustang cut in, "and then Scar came back into the picture..."

"As did the homunculus, all three of them to be exact. That's when I realized that it wasn't she that attacked Hughes in an attempt to take his life. We both leapt into the river- and about a few days later we headed back towards Central." Mustang finished.

"It was quite hectic." Kara said, "I can't believe how sour my luck was!"

This comment was meant to be humorous, "I guess that one must hit that sour patch once in a while, or life would be taken for granted..."

"Sounds like you were busy." Ed commented.

"Kara, why exactly did you leap off of the train?" Al asked, "you could have hurt yourself."

"Nah, it was..." Kara stopped, she didn't want to tell them, not now.

"It was?" Ed persisted.

"Just drop it, okay!" Kara shouted, suddenly furious with him. She tightened her grip on her sheets and stared at him icily, "I don't want to talk about it."

"Why not!" Ed was suddenly in her face, seemingly furious.

"Hey, shorty, give the face space." She said without really thinking about it, it was her defence mechanism kicking in.

_"WHO'RE YOU CALLING A SPECK OF DUST THAT CAN ONLY BE SEEN BY A MICROSCOPE ON HIGH POWER!"_ He shouted angrily, his gaze hardening.

"Hey, don't put words in my mouth!" Kara shouted and sat up, inwardly wincing, "Idiot, you're not that short, heh, if you were I could simply step on you and make all my problems go away." She got a slightly dreamy look in her eyes.

_"WHAT!"_ Ed exclaimed, taking an involuntary step back, "You're not actually contemplating that, are you?"

Kara smiled devilishly and made as though to climb out of the bed, "Maybe... I can do it now, after all, you are short enough."

"What!" With that simple word began the chase, Kara leapt out of her bed, and with a squeal Ed ran through the door and out into the hallway, Kara hot on his heels.

"Come on now, Ed!" She called, "I won't hurt you... much."

"Stop!" Ed cried, bursting through door after door until the troublesome pair were tearing down the crowded evening street.

"Aw, but that wouldn't be any fun!" Kara giggled, the pain had disappeared before she had even crawled out of bed, and in it's place had come the inexplicable energy.

"Kara!" Ed exclaimed, clapping his hands together and forming a sword, Kara, of course did the same.

The twosome struck at each other with fearsome blows, equally matched in strength and agility, "Come on, Ed." Kara pouted, "Is that all you got?"

"Of course not!" Ed exclaimed, thrusting forward all the harder.

Kara quickly blocked it, and leapt atop a car before propelling herself foreward and landing on a nearby building, "Are you coming?" She asked with a playful wink.

In reply Ed leapt up onto the roof where the battle became fierce, sparks flew from the weapons as they collided, and shortly the two were panting and wiping sweat from their brows. "Ah, I see that you haven't slacked off in these past few weeks." Ed teased at last, returning his sword to it's previous state.

"Duh, I may have been a captive, but I would never think of slacking off in my training!" Kara said sarcastically as she too returned her weapon to it's original state, "What say we go back inside now, eh?"

"Works for me, I'm starving!" Ed said, rubbing his now growling stomach.

"Ah, food, a delicacy that I haven't had in ages." Kara said rather dreamily, unconsciouly rubbing her now throbbing stomach.

"I thought that you were a little scrawnier than usual." Ed said as he poked her in the side.

"yeah... heh heh, no food for Kara lately..." She said jokingly, leaping back into the street, into the surprised path of a runner.

"Hey!" He exclaimed loudly, "Damn state alchemists think they can do whatever they want..."

"Sorry!" Kara said swiftly, "I really didn't mean-"

"Enough," The man waved her apology aside and pushed past her, still grumbling to himself about state alchemists.

Kara strode angrily back inside the building, Ed close behind, where it appeared that the others were waiting for herself and Ed to return, she waved her hand dismisively and said, "Don't worry, I didn't squish him or anything, see for yourselves." Before sitting tiredly against the wall, resting her head on her knees.

"Maybe you ought to get back to bed..." Al said, "You shouldn't be up."

Kara glanced up at the group of concerned faces that hovered over her, nodding finally. "Alright... I'll go, I'm tired anyway." She said grudgingly.

She was guided back into her room and onto the awaiting bed, where, in minutes, she was sleeping soundly. Several hours later, a small wooshing soud caused her to awaken and glare at the ceiling. A swirling black cloud loomed over her, causing words to freeze in her mouth. An object fluttered down, and the cloud was suddenly gone, allowing Kara to cry out.

On the pillow beside her lay a single, black rose. Fearfully Kara attempted to untangle herself from the blankets and leap across the room, curling up in a corner, all the while keeping a wary eye on the object as though it were going to attack her if she looked away. She sat there for several hours until the phsycian entered. He hardly noticed her sitting there, at least not until he saw that she was not in her bed, "Miss Kara!" He gasped, rushing to her side, "are you alright?"

Kara's eyes were wide and she refused to answer his insistant questioning, so finally he left her side to look for a higher up officer, namely Colonal Mustang. He burst into the other man's office hardly daring to knock.

"Colonal!" He gasped quickly, "there is something wrong with the girl, come with me, please."

Mustang, in a daze, followed swiftly and was soon kneeling beside Kara, who was in the same spot on the floor, only now her small body was shaking like a leaf, her flesh felt cold to the touch, and she refused to look away from her bed. "What's on her bed?" He asked as he got a glance of a small object near the imprint of a head on Kara's pillow.

"It- it's a black rose!" The doctor gasped, picking it up and waving it around, "I've never seen one like this."

"Burn it." Kara whispered hoarsely, "burn the cursed object."

"What?" Mustang's attention returned to her, watching as her eyes followed the rose.

"I said burn it." She murmmured.

"Why?" The doctor asked, "why burn such a magnificent specimin?"

Kara pulled herself to her feet, and grabbed one of the spare gloves that were hanging out of Mustang's pocket. Quickly she pulled it onto her hand, "If I were you I'd drop it now." Kara said, preparing to snap her fingers.

Looking pale he threw the rose into the air and backed away, in an instant it was surrounded by flames, but, when the flames died away, the rose fell untarnished. Kara put her arm down in defeat, "It's no use." She murmmured to herself, "it can't be destroyed."

She turned her back on the object and whispered, "Tonight I must leave Central."

"What are you talking about? You are in no condition to travel!" Mustang burst out.

"I must leave." Kara insisted, "Lest something happens that I cannot stop, lest I lose everything that I've worked for, you can't stop me, no one can."

She made as though to leave the room and felt his hand fall on her shoulder, "at least have the doctor check you out once more before leaving, and give me my glove back."

"Oh... sorry." Kara grinned sheepishly and pulled it off her hand.

"This way." The physician pointed her back to her bed and inspected her wounds.

"It's miraculous sir, her body has made a complete recovery in these past two days." He said once he was alone with the colonal.

"Ah yes, it would seem that the philosopher's stone really did help her then." Mustang sighed.

"Sir!" Kara burst into the room, "I need to take Hughes with me." Her features were pale and gaunt, "It could mean his life!"

"But- certainly he is in no condition to travel!" The doctor complained loudly.

"He's fine, but, he can't stay here." Kara gasped, "he will be safest with me- away from the threat that resides in the military in Central. You must understand, you simply must!"

It was several hours later that both Hughes and Kara found themselves seated on a train bound for the country, and then they would walk the rest of the way to what had been her home, they wouldn't be found there. Hughes still looked at her wearily, although he knew that she was not the one that had attacked him, he still hadn't gotten his memory back, only brief flashes of the attack, and a woman and a child whom he seemed to hold a great love for. "Hughes," She began once they were a safe distance away, "do you know why I asked for you to come along?"

"No." The other man said, "tell me, why is it that you asked for me?"

"Because, whether you remember or not, we are the only two that knew of the traitor in the military. We are a threat to him, and besides, because of this knowledge, you are the only one that I can trust with what I had to leave Central for."

"And what is that reason?" He leaned closer to her, and in hushed tones she told him.

"Because, just a few hours ago, I recieved a black rose, a rose that means something horrible, I was to recieve it once a certain group returned, a group that wants me dead. The last time that I saw them, the cult of the black rose, was when I defeated them several years ago. They told me, as they retreated, that one day they would return and dispose of me and all those that I care about. There would be mass massacre. Being as young as I was, barely 13, I paid no heed to them, because I thought that surely they would die before that day came. And now, I must flee, and take with me the one other person who knew of their boss, the man that betrayed his people, the man that loved the sight of blood. That man is the Fuhrer, King Bradley."

_A/N_

_Okay then! There's the end of the chapter, hope that you all enjoyed it! Remember to review for me guys! Cause I love you all!_

_Chapter 5: All good things must come to an end Directly after Kara and Hughes exit Central there are a series of terrorist attacks on the military building and other random buildings that are more often than not crowded with people. Can Ed, Al, and Mustang find the source of the attacks before it's too late? Find out next time!_

_Review responses:_

_Waterswind: Thanks! I'm glad to have a new reviewer, and hope to see your name again!_

_LadyRiona: I know that she sort of seems weird, but don't worry, she is not intended for Ed, they are merely very good friends, after all, they've been traveling together for several years. He is intended for- well duh- Winry. They make such a cute couple._

_Tsunade-chan: well, yeah, Mustang isn't a complete hothead, once he realizes that he's made a mistake he is more than willing to forgive.  
miroku-has-darkness: Kara's codename is Goddess of the Elements simply because she can do many different sorts of alchemy. They call her GoE for short, because honestly, would you feel like calling her that? It's a mouthful._

_Great hearing from all of you! See you next chapter! Sayounara!_


	5. chapter 5 all good things must come to a

_Chapter 5: All good things must come to an end_

_A/N Well, yeah... I started this directly after updating chapter 4, enjoy and don't you forget to leave me a review, cause you guys keep me inspired. XD_

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Full Metal Alchemist, so far just my character Kara :P Though someday I plan on luring them here for the promise of cheese and then they'll be mine, just you wait!_

_Read this story! A Forgotten Memory, it is a very very good story I must say, by one of my good friends LadyRiona. Just check it out, I'm sure that you'll love it, cause I sure did! And don't forget to review, telling her just how much you loved it too!_

The figure stood just outside of a large bank, a strange, sadistic smirk playing on his lips as he looked at the building hungrily, at the happy families that entered. He had to do it, he had to destroy it, chaos, he needed chaos so badly. "Die you simple fools." He growled before, in an instant, the building exploded in flames.

The screams of those trapped inside caused his grin to widen greatly, showing off sharp, white teeth, teeth that had ripped apart the flesh of many creatures in an instant. Blood, he could see the foolish creature's blood spraying, boiling in the heat. His vision closed in on the scene, such pleasure it brought him as he stood there, knowing that the others were about to do the same to other buildings. It was time to find Kara, to make her suffer for what she had done to them.

Calmly he walked away from the scene as crowds gathered, gaping in utter horror as the flames reached skyward and the sun was blotted out by the heavy smoke.

&

Mustang was in his office, talking to Hawkeye when the building was shook with a massive explosion. "What the hell was that!" He shouted, standing and making his way to the window.

He gasped at the sight, the entire eastern wing had been destroyed. "Hawkeye, we have to get out of here!" He exclaimed, pulling the woman along behind him as he rushed out of the room, seeing a younger, and rather shaken officer he called out again, "What the hell happened! The whole eastern wing has- has been destroyed!"

"Sir, the entire base is in utter chaos, nobody knows what happened or if anybody that was over there survived, we are looking into it now, sending rescue teams into the rubble, we can't wait." With that the younger man tore down the hallway then, leaving Mustang and Hawkeye standing, utterly confused by the goings on.

Mustang walked towards the rubble filled hallway and was surprised to hear Ed's voice coming from beneath an oddly tall pile of junk, "Get me the hell outta here!" A single automail hand stuck out of the top, allowing them to see why Ed hadn't simply used his alchemy to escape.

"Ed?" Mustang called, rushing towards the pile and pulling pieces of rubble off little by little, after about 10 minutes of silent work he was able to see the boy's face.

Ed's eyes were closed, his face cut and bruised. The area around his lips was turning slightly blue, causing Mustang to quicken his furious digging. His gloves tore as he quickly yanked the boy's now limp form from the rubble.

"Ed!" He shouted, slapping his face, "Wake up damn it, wake up!"

"Mustang!" Hawkeye said softly, "we have to get him to Dr. Narahashi quickly."

"Of course." Mustang stood quickly, Ed's limp form held securely in his arms, before both he and Hawkeye tore down several staircases and into a rather crowded medical room, "Doctor!" He cried, "We have a boy who stopped breathing a few minutes ago! He needs immediate attention!"

The older man made his way to them, and in no time Ed was lying on a bed of his own, a tube ran through his nose (gah! I watch the Critical hour and when they do that, I cringe...) and soon his breathing was being supported by a machine. There were several sighs for relief as his chest rose and fell slowly on its own.

"Ed!" Al came clunking into the room and stood by his brother's side, "What happened to my brother?" He asked, turning to Mustang and Hawkeye, "what happened to Ed?"

"During the explosion he was- buried alive." Mustang said, "he'll be fine now."

"Are you sure?" Al's monotonous voice was laced with concern.

"Al?" Ed's voice came out weak and went almost unheard.

"Brother!" The younger of the two Elrics gasped with relief.

"What happened?" Ed's hand went to his forehead and he winced as his fingers brushed over a deep wound.

"There was an explosion, brother." Al said, "You went off to get something and then it happened."

Ed sat up swiftly, accidentally pulling on the tube that had been shoved through his nose and he yelped, "What the hell is this!" He whined.

"You weren't breathing." Dr. Narahashi moved to his side once more, "we had to support your lungs somehow until you could breathe on your own again."

"Well, can you get it the hell out?" Ed glared at the man, wincing at the feel of the strange tube.

"Fine, but you musn't squirm." The good doctor said, "And lay back down."

Ed lay down and did his best not to move as the doctor pulled it out, he gritted his teeth and shut his eyes tightly, "Son of a bitch!" He gasped at last, rubbing his tender nose, "Next time just let me die."

"That's not funny, brother." Al said softly, "I almost lost you, you could be a little considerate towards the way that others feel about that."

"Sorry Al, I was just kidding." Ed said, his eyes on the ceiling.

&

He sat in front of the large apartment building for nearly twenty minutes, allowing the destructive power to build up inside of him. He listened rather smugly to the voices that filtered out to his sensitive ears and smiled smugly, these people would soon have nothing more to worry about. He closed his eyes and released the built up power, feeling the force of the explosion as flames shot up into the air.

He was upset by the simple fact that he hadn't been able to hear any screams, but the overpowering scent of blood caused him to smile and lick his lips before moving away, slipping into the shocked crowd, there was no need to stay anymore.

&

Kara's body jerked forward as she awoke from yet another nightmare, "Damn, I didn't get out of Central in time." She swore angrily, hitting her hand with her fist.

Hughes was awoken by her outburst, as well as several other passengers who complained rather loudly at being awoken. "What's the matter?" Hughes asked, leaning forward.

"They- they've begun to destroy the city, but I'm sure that the military can handle it." Kara said softly, "especially with the alchemists around."

"Are you sure?" Hughes asked worriedly.

"Yes, and- oh! This is our stop." As the train pulled into the station Kara stood and made her way to the exit, Hughes not far behind.

The two were the only ones to step off at the desolate, out of the way station, Kara headed into the trees nearby, bent on reaching her home, on reaching the haven that would hide her from her enemy. She quickened her pace as the trees grew dark, and finally came upon a two story home that was in a state of disrepair. "Is this it?" Hughes asked, surprised by the sight.

"Yes, but there is one thing- don't go into the kitchen." Kara said softly.  
"Why not?" Hughes asked, not really meaning to contradict her, it was just one of those questions that popped into his head within an instant.

She stood in the doorway and stared at the massive amounts of blood that covered the room- her blood- the sudden realization caused her to cringe, she had lost an arm, leg, and a foot in her efforts to return her parents to life, and those efforts had failed miserably. She had shortly learned that one that died was not meant to be returned to life- a lesson that would have been better off learned beforehand.

Kara turned from the room, towards the forest. This would be the day that she became a state alchemist and began her search for the philosopher's stone. She would never again set eyes upon this home of despair.

"Kara?" Hughes felt a twinge of recognition, the great wall in his mind seemed to crumble just a little bit, allowing him to see the downcast face of a girl, she always seemed to wear a smile, a smile meant to reassure others and hide the pain lurking inside of her soul.

"Hm?" Her glassy gaze shifted towards him.

"Isn't this the kitchen?" His eyes moved back towards the dark room, he saw nothing but shadows and smelt a strange coppery scent mixed with dust. The bulky shadow of a refridgerator was what had clued him in upon the fact that it was the kitchen.

"Ah!" She fairly shrieked and slammed the door shut, shuffling quickly towards the front door, "sorry about that Hughes." She murmured.

"Wait! Why don't you want me in the kitchen?" He asked, "And why does it smell like blood?"

Kara froze, her hand on the front door and Hughes could see tears flowing swiftly down her cheeks. "Something horrible happened in there several years ago when I was but a child, no need to concern yourself with it."

_"How'd she lose her limbs?" Hughes asked, staring at the girl who was attempting at becoming a State Alchemist._

_"The girl attempted to do Human alchemy, to bring back the lives of two State Alchemists who were killed by Aritomo Mitsubishi, whom the girl killed herself in the end." Mustang replied, "it was done in her own kitchen."_

_"Aritomo?" Hughes gasped, "That murderer?"_

_"Yes." Mustang said, "The one and the same"_

Hughes stood just inside the doorway, looking at the dusty rooms, furniture lay about, as good as the day that they were bought, simply waiting for the return of their master. "This place is so lovely." He said mournfully, "yet it is in such a state of disrepair..."

&

"Who is responsible for these bombings!" Mustang was pacing his office, Al, Ed, and Hawkeye sat in various areas around the room, "It doesn't make sense... A bank, the military base, an apartment, what's the connection? What is the significance of attacking these three places?" And then it hit him,

"Because Kara has been to each- whoever is bombing us- they are searching for her. That's why she left, she was attempting at keeping them away from us, but she was too late." He sucked in a deep breath and cursed, "Why didn't I see it before damnit!"

"Wait a second." Ed said at last, "Are you saying that Kara left? When the hell was this?"

"Yes, Ed, she left and took Hughes along with her for some god damned reason." Mustang rested his head in his hands, "Just last night she left."

"Damn her!" Ed growled.

"Brother-" Al began.

"She should have said something." Ed said, "we're friends- we've been traveling together for years, she should have said something damn it!"

"Don't get angry with her, Ed." Mustang sighed, "The girl was merely trying to protect her friends."

"Yeah, and now her attempts were pointless." Ed was positively seathing, why had she left himself and Al behind, weren't they supposed to be a team?

The room shook violently as an explosion rocked the foundations, another building had been attacked, "How much more are they going to do?" Mustang slammed his fist down angrily, "There have already been well over 200 deaths!"

"Colonal-" Hawkeye began, "We can't sit inside all day, we have to find these people."

&

It was dark, he felt the knawing hunger claw at his stomach as he saw the woman making her way past him. He saw that her blood was in a turmoil- the cause most likely seemed to be the explosions that had taken place earlier that day, she was on edge, just waiting for another explosion to take place.

He moved behind her, walking in step with her before grabbing her and pinning her arms by her side. He sniffed savagely at her throat, noting the definate increase in the pace of her heart as his teeth tore into her jugular, such wonderful fluids filled his mouth. The warm, sticky substance ran down his throat as he drank of her. Her body soon grew limp, and after draining her completely he threw her to the ground and wiped at his lips before moving on, away from her as though revolted by the sight of her body.

&

Kara was lying in her bed, trying her hardest to get to sleep, but every time she got images of more and more people dying. She had to go back to Central, she had left too late and now the people were suffering because of her mistakes, it seemed lately that people were always being hurt because of her.

She tiptoed out of the room and into Hughes' she saw the man's face twisted in pain. No doubt that in his sleep he was reminded of what had truely happened that night, whether he would remember it in his waking was another story.

"Hughes," She whispered, "Hughes, we have to go back to Central now."

"Mm, why?" He mumbled tiredly, that pained look gone from his face as his eyes fluttered open.

"Because if I don't go, if I don't just give myself up to them-" Kara swallowed, "What is one life compared to thousands of others?"

"What are you talking about?" Hughes was now wide awake and sitting up, "You can't just give yourself up to them."

"And why not?" Kara asked emotionlessly, "why allow them the pleasure of killing more innocent people?"

"You should never give up- you still have to- find yourself a good husband and settle down."

Kara sighed heavily and rolled her eyes, "That is so like you Hughes." She shook her head, "We leave for Central now, get up and get yourself together"

She turned away from the stunned man and fairly ran back to her room to throw her things back together before making her way to the front door, "Hughes? Are you ready to go?" She called, only to recieve silence, "Hughes?"

Her hand rested upon the banister and she prepared herself to race up the stairs to his assistance at any sign of trouble. "I'm sorry, but he doesn't seem to be available right now." The voice caused Kara's heart to freeze as the familiar sound of it purred into her ear, "My, how you've grown into such a pretty young woman. I would never have expected that from such a scrawny child."

"Get away from me!" She hissed, trying to move but finding that her feet were frozen to the ground, "If you knew where I was, why did you attack Central?"

"Oh come on, you know that it wouldn't be any fun if I didn't slaughter hundreds of innocent people in the process of acquiring you." She could practically feel him smirking as her legs grew weak.

She turned wearily, knowing that in her condition she was no match for him, "Damn it, this is not a game, you can't just go around killing people!" She attempted to strike him, only to find that he grabbed her hand easily, blocking her attack and twisting it painfully behind her back.

"Tsk tsk, now how is it that I easily blocked that? You aren't slacking as of late in your training are you?" The voice questioned slowly.

"I've had a bad month." Kara yanked her hand from his grasp and backed away, "These past two weeks have been hell."

"Aw, and I guess that I should be feeling bad right now? Should I come back next week when you're feeling better?" He grinned malisciously.

"No, you should be getting the hell out of my face." Kara growled, unconsciously sinking to her knees.

"My you have gotten scrawny." He said, poking her in the side.

"Grrr." Kara said defensively, "it's what happens when you haven't eaten in a while."

"Well, good, at least I don't have to fight very hard to get you to come with me, in your weakened state it'll be a piece of cake, and besides, I can now say that if you don't cooperate and come with me, I'll kill your friend upstairs."

Kara bowed her head in defeat, she couldn't let another person die for her.

&

Hughes groaned and sat up rather groggily, unsure of what had actually happened to him, "Kara?" His voice came out thickly, "Kara? Where are you?"

He stood unsteadily and made his way to the stairs, all the while calling for Kara. He searched the entire house for her and was at last standing before the kitchen door. Taking a deep breath he opened it- his senses were overrun with the coppery scent of blood. "My god, what happened in here?" He breathed, looking at the remnants of two alchemic circles.

Mustang was sitting by the front entrance to the base when all of a sudden Hughes burst inside, "Hughes, what's going on?" He asked, immediately pulling himself to his feet in concern.

"What- what happened to the city?" Hughes asked quickly, "why are there so many buildings that have been turned to rubble?"

"We've been attacked by terrorists, now, where is Kara?" Mustang asked, looking over Hughes' shoulder expectantly.

"S-she disappeared." Hughes gasped out, "someone was in the house, they- I think that they took her."

"What! When was this?" Mustang was instantly alert, more so than before anyway.

"I don't know- I only remember waking up some time later, but by then she was already gone. The kitchen- why is her kitchen so bloody?" Hughes looked at Mustang, "Does it have anything to do with her metal limbs?"

Mustang looked down, "When she was younger she tried to do forbidden alchemy to bring back her parents, in the act of equvilant trade she lost an arm, leg, and foot."

"Colonal!" A voice broke off their conversation as Hawkeye rushed over to them, "We- we are dealing with vampires here, not just any vampires, vampires that can survive in the sunlight. Their names- as was delved from Kara's detailed report on them several years ago- are as follows: Atsutane Kenmotsu, the leader and most powerful of the group, Haranobu Gushiken, the second in command, Seiryo Akera one of the lower members, and Hirotsugu Chikamatsu another of the lower members. These vampires are bad news, they have a taste for carnage and are nearly undeafeatable."

"So, we've got a lousy group of vampires on our hands?" Mustang growled.

"The body of a young woman was found this morning with two puncture wounds in her throat, her blood was completely drained from her body."

&

Ed stared at the early evening sky, still angered by the fact that Kara had left them. What made him angrier were the damned terrorists that had killed so many people, how could they do that? "Edward Elric?" The voice was cold and seemed to be disembodied.

"What the hell do you want?" He glanced around him, searching for the source of the voice.

"You're coming with me." He felt a splitting pain in the back of his skull before the blissful, pain free darkness took hold.

He hadn't even had time to retort. A mere exclamation of surprise left his lips as he fell forwards.

They had rushed outside at the sound of the cry, only having time to see Ed being carried away from them, "Brother!" Al's voice could be heard, "No!"

And then both boy and captor were gone. (For some reason I am reminded of an unkown poem at that line... XD)

_A/N well, I'll end it there, seeing as how I can... I hope that you liked it, don't forget to review! By the way, if you hadn't noticed, this no longer follows the course of either anime or manga..._

_Chapter 6: There is no escape_

_Ed, Kara, and Winry are trapped in an underground cell with seemingly no exit but the hole in the ceiling nearly 50 feet above them. It seems that in their moment of utter despair, someone is going to reveal their feelings ;) find out next time!_

_If you really want to find out what happens leave a happy little review..._

_Review Responses:_

_LadyRiona: Thanks for the advice, I guess it is rather smart to put that up... anyway thanks for the review!_

_Tsunade-chan: yup, they sure do... otherwise there really would be no interesting fight scenes and whatnot... not that I have any here or anything, I'm just saying... XD_

_Jackie(Ed's secret lover): I do these things to make people want to read more ;) It adds tension to the story and whatnot. Glad to see a new face!  
Okay guys, now don't dissappoint me! Review okay? Tell me what you think..._


	6. Chapter 6: There is no escape

_Chapter 6: There is no escape_

_A/N I don't really know how many more times that I can update before saturday, but I really hope that you guys like this chapter_

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Full Metal Alchemist, so far just my character Kara :P Though someday I plan on luring them here for the promise of cheese and then they'll be mine, just you wait!_

_A Forgotten Memory: A great story written by a great person. She really does her best to please her readers, now read it and make her happy!_

Ed sat up, blinking hard for a few minutes and massaging the massive lump on his head, "What happened?" He murmmured, not really expecting an answer.

Kara was sitting with her back against an earthen wall and her head was buried in her knees, "I didn't think that they would go after anyone else, but here I see that they brought you, Ed, and Winry too." Her voice was muffled and Ed had to strain his ears to hear her.

"Who're 'they'?" He asked cautiously.

"They are the ones that I fought about two years ago- the ones that I banished from the country. They vowed to return, and to make sure that I knew of, and feared their presence, they are vampires." Kara murmured softly, raising her head slightly and showing her watery eyes, "I really didn't know that they'd go after anybody else. I'm so sorry."

"Don't apologize you idiot, this isn't your fault." Ed sat up quickly, bad move on his part as a massive headache began.

His gaze fell on Winry, who was still lying in an unconscious heap and then moved back to Kara, studying her for a moment, "Where's Hughes? Wasn't he with you?"

"They didn't take him- merely threatened to kill him if I did not go willingly." Kara sighed heavily and pulled herself to her feet, "There doesn't appear to be a way out without making this place cave in upon us, I'm sure that Atsutane arranged that one himself the slimy bastard."

"No way out? Then how the hell did we get in?" Ed asked in frustration.

"They threw us down from up there." Kara pointed without enthusiasm at the ceiling, where Ed noticed a small hole, "It's not any use trying to climb, I've tried hundreds of times, and so far I haven't been able to make it halfway without falling back down here."

"Damn it!" Ed exclaimed, "What the hell is the point of this?"

"Ed?" Winry's dazed voice startled the both of them, "I thought- I thought that you were back in Central?"

"I was." Ed growled, "but, now I'm not, we've all been... abducted."

"It makes it so much more fun when there's a group." A voice called from above, "especially when they're friends of our dear Kara."

"Let them go!" Kara cried, "You have no right to hold them."

"I really could care less." The voice called tauntingly, laughing rather darkly.

"Bastard!" Ed yelled angrily, "let us go!"

"No can do, the fun has only just begun!" Footsteps were heard moving away from the hole, and they were left alone once more.  
Kara stood and began to pace, hardly taking note that Ed had moved to Winry's side. She decided then that she should at least give them time alone, so she sat a little distance away, looking calculatingly at the ceiling. Her sharp ears unintensionally picked up their soft voices, and to say the least she was rather surprised by what she heard.

"Ed." Winry whispered softly from below him, Ed could feel a desparate longing to hold her as he always seemed to now when he saw her.

"Yes?" His voice rivaled her own in the softness of it's tone.

She nuzzled close to him, surprising him enough that he wrapped his arms around her small form without realizing it, "just... hold me, okay? At least for a little while, I want to be near you."

Lightning tore across the sky above them, startling all three of the weary prisoners. Soon a drenching rain fell upon them. Kara wrapped her arms around her knees and drew herself together in an attempt at getting warm.

Ed and Winry drew closer together as well, Winry's body was now deliciously close to him, he could smell her wondrous scent, the scent that was more often than not masked with oil and metal, she smelled of wildflowers. It reminded him of his old home, back when he was little, when he, Winry, and Al had played together. He felt tears mix with the rain but didn't care, Ed brought his lips to Winry's forehead gently, "Winry, I-"

He was cut off when she pressed her fingers to his lips, "Shh, I know Ed." Her eyes shined with loving admiration.

Ed was surprised when she rose up until they were at eyelevel before pressing her lips softly to his. Tenderly he returned it, pressing her against his body. In a daze his tongue darted between her slightly parted lips. He could feel her body tensing against his as she moved her hips in his lap, causing sweet, blissful pleasure to rush throughout his body. Ed took a sharp intake of breath, allowing her own tongue the chance to dart into his mouth.

"Ed!" Winry gasped as he rolled until he lay upon her form, quivering with excitement.

He lightly kissed her mouth again before finding his way to her neck where he nipped and suckled gently, causing Winry's breath to quicken. The two forgot the rain, as well as the situation that they were in, and continued to kiss passionately for a while before breaking off, panting slightly, both heated and flushed in the face.

"Winry." Ed said finally, "I love you."

Her gaze was soft, "I love you too. I'm sorry that I always hit you with my wrench... but you make me worry so much with everything you do. I see that you broke your automail and know that it happened out of violence. I worry that I will never be able to see you again- never get to tell you how much I really care."

"I don't just want to get my body back for me." Ed whispered, "I want- I want to be able to touch you with both of my hands, not just this... this cold metal."

"I could care less, so long as it's you that's touching me." Winry said.

Kara lay down in the mud, her eyes had dulled slightly, it wasn't as though she really loved him after all, why should she feel this way when he spoke such passionate words to Winry? Maybe... maybe this was her way of accepting this, accepting that the man she had traveled with for so long was finally coming out with his feelings. She cared about him, and knew that he might not have the time he needed to love Winry properly. Maybe she just felt bad because it was her fault that they would most likely die in the evening. Kara clenched her fists tightly, determined to help the two of them escape, even if it meant that she herself would not make it.

"Ed, Winry." She called, watching as the two pulled sheepishly apart.

"What is it?" There was a hint of frustration in Ed's voice as Kara prepared herself for what she was about to do.

"Goodbye." She murmured softly, moving to their side, she only had the energy to do this once.

"What're you talking abou-" Ed's words were cut off as he was blinded by a bright light, before he felt himself pitched into the air, Winry's hand held tightly to his, they landed in a startled heap above the hole.

"Go get the military's aid!" Kara called, "I'll make sure that your absence goes unnoticed until then."

"Are you crazy!" Winry cried, "They'll kill you!"

Ed put his hand on Winry's shoulder and shook his head. In understanding Winry lowered her gaze and followed him away from the prison, silently praying that Kara would be alright.

Kara watched them go and felt another pang in her heart, she hoped that the two of them would be alright. Kara was suddenly overcome with exhaustion. She leaned against the now rather muddy wall and drifted off.

She was awoken sometime later by angry shouts, opening her eyes she saw Atsutane standing above her, glaring at her coldly, "Where are they?" He growled.

"Why, I don't know what you're talking about." Kara smirked.

A boot came in contact with her chest and Kara felt the air being knocked out of her. "Where are they?"

Kara stood and wiped at the thin line of blood that had run down her lip as she bit it. "I don't know." She said coldly, lunging at him.

He snatched her into his grasp and pressed her close to his body, taking in her scent, "You can't win." He whispered into her ear, "You won't ever win against me now, tonight, tonight you will be changed into that which you fear most. You will have to take the blood of others to survive."

Atsutane then proceeded to throw her to the ground and kick her once more before making his way back to the surface. "You bastard." Kara sobbed, and then in a single instant she had created a sharp blade which she then proceeded to press to her wrist, "You won't get your way, I won't become one of you."

The blade sliced across the tender flesh, searing pain filled her body and she watched with satisfaction as the crimson blood poured forth, "I will never become one of you." With that she collapsed into an unconscious heap.

&

Ed ran hard and fast, Winry's wrist clutched tightly in his hand. They were both gasping for breath, though neither wished to stop and be caught again.

In the distance Ed caught sight of a city that looked suspiciously like Central, putting on an extra burst of speed the two made it to Central before nightfall.

The door to the battered military base burst open as someone inside caught sight of the two, "Ed!" The voice was that belonging to Hawkeye, "And- Winry? What's going on?"

"Hurry!" Ed gasped.

"The- v-vampires, we know where they are, we must get back there before it's too late." Winry felt a strange feeling of foreboding growing within her and was silent, her face turned back towards where they had come from, "There really isn't much time." Her voice came out rather hypnotic.

"Winry?" Ed put his hand on her shoulder, which seemed to snap her back to reality.

"I'll get a few of the personel together." Hawkeye said quickly, "and we'll go by car as far as we can without being noticed before continuing on foot."

Okay, but hurry, before anything happens." Winry was fairly dancing on her heels.

Once more the door to the base opened and out came- Mustang with a few other soldiers by his side, "We can leave now." He said, and then to Winry and Ed's questiong looks, "what? Didn't you think that your voices were loud enough?"

"Uh..." Ed realized that they had in fact been talking loudly.

"Let's go Ed!" Winry called from the sidewalk, "We don't have all night!"

"I'm coming already!" Ed shouted, running to the car and sliding in beside Winry.

&

In a confused daze Kara opened her eyes, her vision swam furiously, causing the figure before her to come out in a blur, "You idiot, do you seriously think that after the other two were gone I'd leave you alone?" The figure snarled, "And you tried to ruin my plans, so very naughty of you. Don't you know that I always get my way?"

"You didn't get it when I beat you." Kara muttered, "So it would make sense to say no." Her gaze shifted to the wrist that she had sliced, a look of surprise crossed her face as she saw that the wound was gone, and in it's place was an angry pink scar.

He grabbed the wrist and shoved it in her face, "I guess that your body doesn't want to die nearly as much as you, considering that the moment you passed out it closed."

Kara forced her arm back away from him and realized something then- she was chained! Kara struggled viscously against them, managing nothing. She was surrounded by the group of vampires, they all smiled rather toothily as their leader moved closer to her, sniffing delicately at her throat, "ah, I love when the blood is coated with fear." He whispered in her ear, "It tastes so much better then."

He lowered his mouth toward her throat and Kara squeezed her eyes shut.

&

(Hehe, I'm mean, ne?)

Ed tapped his foot anxiously on the floor of the car as they sped out of the city and towards a group of hills some distance away, would they make it in time to save their savior? An arm gently touched his shoulder, startled his foot stopped moving and he turned to look at whoever had touched him,

"Winry?" He said, surprised.

"Don't worry, Ed, it doesn't suit you. We- we'll make it in time, I know it." Liar, your only thinking hopefully, I have a feeling that we might be to late to save the girl.

Ed's face softened as he looked into Winry's eyes, pools of icy blue water that held such a blazing fire in them that at first Ed was shocked. He nodded, speechless and instead of anxiety he felt a strange calm overcome him. Winry was right, there was no need for worry, it only made it harder to think straight. (Can you tell that I'm a coma freak yet? Or must I use lots and lots more to get it through to you? lol, back to the story, I'm pretty sure that you don't enjoy my babbling in the middle of it all...)

Winry smiled, glad to see that the worry had left his features; though in it's place came a grim determination. He had lost his mother, but he would never lose his closest friend. She had been with him since he became a state alchemist, though she herself was younger than he and sometimes went on her own missions, missions that needed her skill and talent as the GoE, there was so much pressure put on the girl, how could she handle it, how could she, younger than he, take on so much responsibility and fight, more often than not, without a scratch upon her body? (XD... lots of commas... hehe... yeah, I really need to stop doing that. I'll try not to interrupt your reading, the author says ta ta for now, she'll get back to the writing and leave you poor, innocent readers alone. Again I say XD)

"Got yourself a girlfriend Ed?" Mustang said teasingly, trying to lighten the mood at least a little bit, even if it was at the expense of the Full metal alchemist, "Aren't you a little short for her?"

_"WHO'RE YOU CALLING AN ULTRA TINY SHRIMP!"_ He cried angrily, causing the others in the vehicle to burst out laughing, "what you're all against me now!"

"Ed, you have to lighten up." Winry said through the tears that had formed during her fit of laughter, "Don't be so sensitive about your height." Her face was a deep crimson from what Mustang had said before calling Ed short.

The car pulled to a stop and the group exited the car, it was time to begin the hike towards where the vampires were hiding. "Are you guys ready?" Hawkey cocked her pistol and glanced back at the group, "this is it, this is a search and kill mission, leave none of those bastards alive, they destroyed the lives of many, and it is time to destroy that which destroyed your families and friends."

There was a soft exclamation of agreement and they were off to who knew what kind of danger.

_A/N_

_Hahahahaha! I'll cut off there because I'm just so very mean. XD I don't know if I'll be able to post again before my camping trip, but... I will work extra hard on the next chapter to get it up if I get at least 4 reviews. I mean, this one only took a few hours to write... :P That is including many distractions, such as reading other stories, cooking food, and momentary writer's block, but, I've got this one and hope that you all liked it._

_Chapter 7: Fate plays a hand_

_Will Kara be rescued before it's too late? Will Ed and the others survive their encounter with the Vampires? Find out next time!_

_Review Responses:_

_miroku-has-darkness: Umm... I couldn't quite understand what you were asking me, could you make it a little more comprehensive? That is if your willing to, I'm very appreciative to have gotten a review all the same. Ta ta, see you in the next chapter!_

_LadyRiona: Yeah... but understand, I read and reread before putting this up, I just don't have microsoft word on this damned computer... TT That is my favorite program to write in... and I can't always see the mistakes that I have made, but thanks for pointing that out to me, I hope that this one isn't so bad, let me know, okay? Anyway, yeah, you were first to review the chapter, congratulations! Have a cookie! and, no problem about the advertising, I'm too nice not to do so... lol, I just can't say no to some things. Not that I didn't want to advertise, it was kind of interesting to do... anyway, I will see you next chapter, thanks a lot for the review!_

_Tsunade-chan: You really liked it? I thought that my story was kind of going a little sour, but I do believe that this chapter is pretty good, at least to the best of my knowledge, but I'm the author so my opinion really doesn't count in the matter. Yes, they are vampires, evil city destroying vampires who want to get back at Kara for defeating them several years ago, so before they change her, they wanted her to watch two of her closest friends die._

_Anyway, thanks bunches for the review! and I hope to see you next chapter!_

_Wow... I actually wrote longer responses, how very interesting. Don't forget to review for me so that I might update soon for you all! Ta ta for now!_

_Weeeee... flies away on her magic broomstick (no clue where that came from... O.o)_


	7. Chapter 7: Fate plays a hand

_Chapter 7: Fate plays a hand_

_A/N: This'll be the last chapter updated before I go camping, and then you guys won't see anything for two weeks or so. I hope that you are really nice and review for me! I can't wait to get back from my camping trip, during the time that I am there I'll start the next chapter via notebook (I have so many notebooks it isn't even funny, each contains a story, though there're only 3 or four that are fanfictions...) Hehe... I have about 25 notebooks... so yeah, I'm sure that I'll have the next chapter done by the time that I return and can thus type it up and upload it ASAP, okay? Have fun without me. XD_

_Cough, sorry that I didn't get the chapter in beforehand, R&R for me though, let me know that you all still love me!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Full Metal Alchemist, so far just my character Kara :P Though someday I plan on luring them here for the promise of cheese and then they'll be mine, just you wait!_

_A Forgotten Memory: I must say that this story is a definate must read! Go check it out guys! Seriously, don't just take my word for it, read the story for yourselves!_

_Previously:_

_The car pulled to a stop and the group exited the car, it was time to begin the hike towards where the vampires were hiding. "Are you guys ready?"_

_Hawkeye cocked her pistol and glanced back at the group, "this is it, this is a search and kill mission, leave none of those bastards alive, they destroyed the lives of many, and it is time to destroy that which destroyed your families and friends."_

_There was a soft exclamation of agreement and they were off to who knew what kind of danger._

_Now:_

Kara felt him bury his teeth in her throat, drinking greedily of the vein that rested there. She cried out in pain as her body convulsed. Her head felt so very light and she just wanted to rest, get away from the pain that filled her body as she grew weaker.

Kara jerked herself out of a deep sleep, it seemed that she had only dreamt of the incident, but she was still lying in the prison- blood still oozed from the wound in her wrist that was trying to close itself up, "No, damn it!" She moaned and brought the blade back to her flesh, making the wound wider once more.

Perhaps it would have been easier to cut into her heart- but Kara wanted all of the blood out of her body so that even in death she would be of no use to them, the vampires would get no meal off of her body. She grimaced as she flexed her wrist, willing the blood to spill forth faster, her suffering would end soon enough.

Her vision blurred and she could once again hear the voices of her parents calling her, telling her that it was late and that she had to go inside, "Mother! Father!" She cried, rushing towards them, tears stinging her eyes.

Kara stopped when she saw a black clad figure standing before her, a look of dark fury resting upon his face. "Wha-" Her ten year old self was confused by him, "Who are you?" She asked, preparing to dash around him- she had to get home, her parents were after all calling for her, she could not disobey them lest she be punished.

Her plans were crushed when he grabbed her shoulders and pulled her close to his body. She froze in shock, "You're not getting away that easily."

"Let me go! My parents want me home! Let go!" Kara cried, pulling away from his grasp.

The grassy field began to spin about her- the trees began to dissappear, "W-what's going on?"

The man growled, "You're nearly too far gone, but I won't let you die, I've told you, you can't stop me, you will become one of us."

Kara felt herself plummetting painfully back to reality, she was suddenly staring at her dirt filled prison. "What?" Her mind felt as though it were being torn in two and her eyes glazed over slightly.

She looked up at the vampire that held her tightly in his arms, "We will do it now, before your stupid stunt ends up killing you." He growled, dragging her rather limp form to the surface.

A sudden burst of flames caused him to turn sharply, "Ah, Colonal Mustang, ne? So glad you could make it."

"Let the girl go." His words were laced with hatred.

"And what'll you do if I don't?" The vamipire scoffed.

"This." Ed's voice sounded from behind and the vampire felt a stinging pain in his chest as a blade was shoved through.

"What the-" He turned in a daze as his body began to decompose, "You insolent little bastard!" Were the last words that he spoke as he collapsed atop Kara, who was, at the moment, lost within her childhood memories.

"Kara!" Winry knelt beside the prone girl and pulled her into her lap, "are you- are you okay?"

Kara was tangled in the web of her mind- there was no escaping the horrifying memories that returned, the nightmares that she had to endure as a youth. A single voice broke through the fog, "Winry?" She questioned, though her voice went unheard.

&

Black mist swirled around her, beckoning her further into it's midst.

"Kara!" Winry's voice had once more broken through, but Kara could find no escape.

_"You stupid little brat!" The voice made her blood run cold, a calloused hand struck her face, making the shivering girl reel as she bowed her head lower._

_"I'm so sorry sir!" She blubbered, frustrated with herself as he shoved her to the ground._

_She was journeying to Central to see the military about becoming a national alchemist, her only problem was that she had no money. Kara had been working with this alcoholic, trying to help him rebuild his home for a few simple coins, he was now rebuking her for what she thought to be fine work._

_She was briefly aware of being struck over and over again until something snapped within her and suddenly the man was gurgling, Kara looked up in time to see a thin line of blood trail from his lips before he collapsed._

_Terror seized Kara then and she ran as she had never run before, he had been the second man to ever die by her hands, but in the military he wouldn't he the last. She began to have her doubts then, about joining them, would she really be able to kill still more people? It was then that Kara realized that she had something clasped tightly between her fingers, looking at the leather object for a few minutes Kara saw that it was that man's wallet. At least she wouldn't have to work again._

_&_

Winry lifted the small form of her friend and was surprised by how much weight the younger girl had lost during the years that they had known each other. "Colonal!" A younger man gasped, saluting shakily as he ran up, "The others have escaped!"

Mustang looked absolutely furious, "Find them and destroy them, I must go back to Central- return to base asap with whatever information you can gather, or even with the news of their deaths."

"Yes sir." Once more the younger man saluted until the colonal was out of sight before rushing off.

They were in the car, Winry managed to let out a small sigh of relief, they were going back to the safety of Central, away from the beasts that had kidnapped herself, Ed, and Kara. Her eyes fell on an angry red scar on Kara's wrist, dried blood caked the flesh around it. She could feel tears pricking at the corners of her eyes at the thought that she had almost lost one of her best friends. A hand fell on her shoulder and Winry looked up to see Ed's concerned face peering down at her, "Are you alright, Winry?" He asked softly as the vehicle bumped along.

"Of course." Winry said coldly, glaring at the ground, Ed was silent afterwards.

"Kara!" Her mother called, the voice itself was music to her ears, could it be? Was her mother really calling to her once more, did it mean that she hadn't missed her chance to return home?

&

"Kara, honey, wake up, you're needed!" Her father's soothing voice breathed in her ear.

"But I want to come home!" Kara wailed.

"Not yet." The pressing voices of both called, "wake up, they need you!"

Kara sat up suddenly, bathed in sweat and breathing heavily, had her parents truely been the ones to help her resurface? She stood on shaky legs and made her way to the closed door, her fingers grasped the nob, pulling it open. Slipping, Kara fell into the hallway with a soft, "Oof."

"H-hello?" Her voice was hoarse and barely rose above a whisper, she recieved no reply.

It was late- maybe that was why she saw nobody, it had to be past 3 in the morning. Kara's unsteady feet led her towards another door, this one led to a long hallway, "Kara!" The voice of a relieved man called.

"H-Hughes?" Kara gasped, turning to the man, she threw her arms about him, glad that he was alright, "How- how is your amnesia?" She asked softly, releasing him.

"I only have brief glimpses of the past." Hughes said regretfully, "and even then it slips away before I can fully grasp at it." For even then he was trying to remember Kara before the accident that had nearly cost him his life, nothing could break through that impeniterable darkness.

"I'm so sorry." Kara felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes.

"Don't be!" Hughes said reassuringly, "I don't need to remember to know that I had a wife, a beautiful daughter, and friends such as yourself, the beginning was the most confusing- when I woke up." He now bore a distant look upon his face, "I'm sorry that I made them think that you had done it."

"You were confused," Kara said, "What memories you had left were muddled, you didn't know. Okay then! Enough apologies! Where are my things?"

Hughes led her back to the room, a small cupboard stood against the wall and inside were the clothes that she had been wearing previously, she now wore one of those hospital gowns, her watch, and a few other miscelanious objects of little value that needn't be named. Hughes stood outside the door as she dressed and threw the objects into her pockets. Kara stepped outside and asked a question that had been eating away at her mind for a while, actually, there were a few questions, "How long have I been here?" Was the first, and before Hughes could answer, "and what- happened to the vampires?"

"You've been here for about two and a half months, your recovery was looking pretty grim, I was rather surprised to see you strolling down the hall.

Secondly, only one of them was killed, the others dissappeared and were unable to be found, though we have been following a string of murders where the victims were drained of their blood." Hughes replied, "little else is known."

Kara nodded, taking in the information rather well, "I see that I have a lot of work to do then." She muttered to herself.

"What- no-" Kara cut Hughes off as he tried to deter her from the task that she had set upon herself.

"They were my problem before- but being as young as I was I couldn't complete it by killing them so I banished them and ignored their vow of return. It is my fault that so many have died and mine alone- I had several chances to kill them but was never able to take them." Kara said in determination, "Please don't try to stop me Hughes."

He bowed his head in defeat, "as you wish- but you aren't going to face them alone, you have us remember."

Kara managed a weak smile, "O-of course." She cursed herself for stammering.

Her stomach growled painfully and Kara clutched at it, "Can we go get something to eat? I'm starving." Her weak smile became a sheepish grin, "I can't remember the last time that I had some food."

They were in the cafeteria, Kara eating whatever she could possibly get her hands on, a few minutes later. It was dark and, contrast to during the day, eerily silent. Finally Kara finished, shoving a half eaten plate (it was after all the 4th plate of food that she had grabbed) away from her, sighing contentedly, "That's better."

Hughes chuckled lightly, "You know, maybe after this you ought to get yourself a husband and settle down-"

"Jeez, Hughes, even without your memory you haven't changed a single bit."

She crossed her arms, "I am too young to marry right now, and even if I wasn't, I wouldn't want to settle down just yet, I guess you could say that I'm happy with everything that I do and see."

Hughes blinked and looked towards the door, "Ed!" He said cheerily, causing Kara to turn sharply in her seat.

Ed's chest heaved as though he had been running, his gaze rested upon her before he composed himself, "I figured that I would- find you here." He said at last, his tone casual as he stepped inside and flopped down into a chair between Kara and Hughes, "when I saw that you weren't in your room."

"Ed, I'm so glad that you're okay!" Kara said cheerfully, "how is Winry?"

He began to shift uncomfortably in his seat, "She's um- well, Winry's pregnant." He said at last, his face flushing a bright crimson.

Kara felt the excitement building up within her and would have squealed except for the image that she had built up for herself- she didn't want to ruin what had taken years to build with a single childish squeal, instead her smile broadened, "When- when is she due?"

"In about 7 months." Ed grew more comfortable with the conversation, "She wants to get married before then, but-"

"But Ed is too afraid of commitment." Hughes grinned widely as Ed glared at him.

"You don't want to give up your freedom just yet?" Kara said knowingly and was answered with Ed's quick, brief nod.

Their conversation was interupted by the arrival of several soldiers, conversing amongst themselves as they prepared their breakfast. It wasn't long before the once dark, quiet cafeteria grew loud with conversation and bright. The sun had risen a few hours previously. Kara stood at last, "We ought to get out of here." She muttered, sliding her chair beneath the table and taking her plate to the kitchen, discarding it's contents and scrubbing it before putting it away.

_A/N I'll end it there- sorry I couldn't get it out beforehand, but man, I just couldn't get it done, do you guys forgive me? Pouty look I did apologize... anyway, hope you liked it, Don't forget to leave a review on your way out._

_Chapter 8: Taking care of Business_

_Kara finally manages to track the vampires down, but will she be able to stop them? Or will her heart get in the way again, forcing her to once more fail? Winry is preparing for a baby, (Kara: Did you say that she is preparing for a baby! Authoress: That's exactly what I said now let me continue.) Can you believe that Winry is pregnant? Not only that, but engaged? Find out more about Winry next time, by tuning in to 'Full Metal Alchemist: Change of Fate' Will this be the happy ending that everyone longs for? Heh :P Not telling._

_Review Responses:_

_Tsunade-chan: Heh, took a while to update, but I did it, so, evil am I? Grins Hahahahaha! Anyway, enjoy the chapter, let me know what you think!_

_LadyRiona: I like to be silly sometimes. Pouts Haha, I got to the next chapter before you! Sticks out tongue I don't think that I did the really long comma thing this time, but, let me know what you think! I'll race you to the next chapter, ready set- I didn't say go! XD_

_Fear: Well, I've updated, hope that you enjoy, see you next chapter!  
Okay, well, it was nice to hear from you lot, hopefully I will get more reviews next chapter, anyway- Feels the sudden urge to howl at the moon. I must go. (So that I can stop wasting your time...)_


	8. Chapter 8: Taking Care of Business

_Chapter 8: Taking care of Business_

_A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long... but I have had a writer's block for it... I hope that you like this chapter! Don't forget to review!_

_disclaimer: Anguished sigh No... I don't own FMA, I've nearly caught them dozens of times... but each attempt has failed... One of these days my cheese plan will work._

_Must Reads (Don't ask, just read! lol, or at least try to...)_

_story: This Sesshomaru's Rin Author: Kobayashi Reiko (It's fluff filled, so I'm sure that a lot of you will like it...)_

_story: The Urge (and miscelanious others that she has written) Author: Jade Summers_

_story: A Forgotten Memory ( look at the above parenthisized thing) Author: LadyRiona_

_Previously:_

_"Ed, I'm so glad that you're okay!" Kara said cheerfully, "how is Winry?"_

_He began to shift uncomfortably in his seat, "She's um- well, Winry's pregnant." He said at last, his face flushing a bright crimson._

_Kara felt the excitement building up within her and would have squealed except for the image that she had built up- she didn't want to ruin what had taken years to build with a single childish squeal, instead her smile broadened, "When- when is she due?"_

_"In about 7 months." Ed grew more comfortable with the conversation, "She wants to get married before then, but-"_

_"But Ed is to afraid of commitment." Hughes grinned widely as Ed glared at him._

_"You don't want to give up your freedom just yet?" Kara said knowingly and was answered with Ed's quick, brief nod._

_Their conversation was interupted by the arrival of several soldiers, conversing amongst themselves as they prepared their breakfast. It wasn't long before the once dark, quiet cafeteria grew loud with conversation and bright. The sun had risen a few hours previously. Kara stood at last, "We ought to get out of here." She muttered, sliding her chair beneath the table and taking her plate to the kitchen, discarding it's contents and scrubbing it before putting it away._

_Now:_

Kara allowed the steamy water of her shower to enshroud her in it's warmth. She leaned against the damp tile wall, breathing deeply of the moist air. Her resolve was final, and even though Ed and Hughes were waiting in the room beyond the shower she had no intentions of rejoining them.

After a few minutes she stepped out of the warm shower (Leaving the water on) And hurriedly dressed herself in the chilly bathroom. Once this was done and she had raked a brush through her tangled hair, Kara moved to the window. The bathroom was three floors above the street, Kara knew that if she didn't leap just right she could hurt herself.

Silently she opened the window and pulled herself through, gripping the windowsill as she lowered herself as close as she could to the street before letting go. Kara fell silently and landed on her feet, gaining herself a few shocked stares from the passersby on the street. She merely stood and brushed herself off before taking off at a slight jog towards the train station. None would know of her absense until it was too late.

She paid for her ticket- the train would stop three times, each for a several hour time period. Kara would spend those few hours searching the villages that she entered for her vampiric foes. No doubt after their leader had been killed they had all split up and gone their seperate ways.

The car was nearly empty as she seated herself near the window- she prefered sitting there, it would provide an easy escape if things didn't go right on the train. Early afternoon sunlight spilled onto the seat across from her, and Kara found herself getting lost in it's cheery atmosphere. Eventually she gave in and drifted off to sleep, sitting with her arms crossed.

Several hours later Kara was jolted awake as the train's speed increased unnaturally, pressing her farther into the cushioned seat. Worriedly the girl stood and made her way along the train's length, eventually coming to the very front- where she noticed a smear of blood and no conductor.

Anxiously she tried to figure out the controls- in the end she resorted to alchemy to stop the train. She was pitched foreward as the train came to a sudden hault, dizzily Kara sat up, rubbing at a painful spot on her forehead. Pulling her fingers away she noticed that they were smeared with blood. "Damn it..." She moaned softly.

The door burst open behind her and Kara saw the forms of three men, "So, young Kara, it would appear that we meet again." The voices hissed in unison.

_Atsutane smirked as he looked at the young girl before him, "This-" He chuckled, indicating the girl that was about half his height, "Is all the military can spare to fight us? Such a scrawny child... I'm embarrassed to have to even fight with her._

_Kara felt the anger building up in her and clenched her fists together, "You bastards have caused enough carnage, I will-" She was interupted by laughter._

_"You really think that you, an ordinary human child, can defeat us!" _

_Haranobu guffawed._

_Kara slapped her hands together and placed them upon the ground below her, drawing up a long metal pole, on the end of it was a sharp blade that glinted in the surprised faces of the vampires. "You were saying?" She growled in defiance._

_"You are a mere child!" Seiryo replied grimly, "You will not defeat us."_

_"We'll see about that." With those words Kara leapt foreward._

Kara rolled her eyes and glared at them, "What the hell are you doing here?" She growled as they moved closer to her.

"We are here to finish what Atsutane started- but not before we have a little fun." There was a grin on the face of Haranobu, the new leader.

"You won't get far- I will kill you all now." Kara slapped her hands together, just as she was about to touch the walls both of her wrists were grasped.

"Before you surprised us with the way you were able to do alchemy." Hirotsugu growled, squeezing her wrists tighter in his hand.

&

"Kara!" Ed pounded heavily on the bathroom door- she had been in the shower well over two hours, no doubt the water had gotten frigid upon her, "Kara, come on, what's taking so long?"

Slightly anxious he pulled the door open, peering around the side and noting that her things had dissappeared. Angrily he slammed the door all the way open and turned the water off in the shower, "Damn it!" He growled.

"Ed?" Hughes stepped into the bathroom slightly startled, "What happened?"

"She left." Ed turned on Hughes, "She's not here, we have to find her before she does something stupid."

&

Glass shattered about her as she was pitched through the windshield, nothing could prepare her for the bone jarring landing that she made on the tracks as the vampires leapt through the hole that she had created in the glass. Each of them was smirking, thinking that this was the end, that they had won. They had another surprise as Kara stood- a strange blank look in her eyes as she ran at them with a renewed vigor.

&

The radio was on in Mustang's office, and he was slightly surprised when he heard that a train carrying only three passengers had been hijacked by a group of inhuman men. He stood up quickly and reached for his coat as the door to his office burst open and Hughes ran in, dragging Ed along behind him, "Did you hear?" He gasped, "on the radio?"

Mustang nodded grimly, "What of it?"

"Hughes thinks that Kara was on that train." Ed said almost boredly, "and that the three men are those vampires that you never caught."

Mustang nodded, "It would appear that that is true, ne?" He hurriedly pulled his coat over his shoulders and raced to the door, "What are you waiting for?"

The three raced down the halls and out of the building.

&

Kara lashed out grimly at the three vampires who were doing all they could to dodge her attacks, "What the hell is this!" Haranobu exclaimed as his leg was pierced by an unknown blade.

"You bastards will pay for the lives that you have taken." Kara's voice was dull and monotonous as she stepped towards them, a deadly look in her eyes.

&

Winry sighed heavily as she sat under the stars, gently carressing the slowly growing swell in her belly. She smiled softly, remembering the eve that the child had been created. It had only been several months after their kidnapping- after she and Ed had confessed their love for each other. Passion had taken hold of them again.

She stood slowly, stretching as early dawn began to mingle with the night, she needed to sleep at least a little that night, if not for herself then for the child growing within her womb.

_A/N: yeah... I think that this chapter kind of sucked, but I had to get it out there! Apologizes Sorry for the long wait... as I said, there just has been no inspiration for this chapter..._

_Chapter 9: The Deadly Power of the GoE_

_Kara's unknown power is explained to her, but will she be able to accept the fact that she is destined to destroy all human kind? What does fate have in store for our young heroes? Tune in next time to find out! (wow, that definitely sounded like the way anime tends to show some of the events for the next time and say 'tune in next time!' _

_Now off to the reviewer's corner! Wooosh!_

_Review Responses:_

_moonlightpath: It would seem that our cross advertising has finally begun to work! XD Let's all welcome our newest reviewer, I hope to see you next chapter!_

_LadyRiona: I don't really think that I beat you to updating... I tried, but this chapter was just... dead for the longest time, and now that it's written it seems like it's really horrible- but no worries! The next chapter will be ten times as good and there'll definately be more Winry (Didn't really know what to write for her so it ended up being only two paragraphs... sighs)_

_Fear: I'm glad to see you again, and thanks for the review!_


	9. Chapter 9: The Deadly Power of the GoE

Chapter 9: The Deadly Power of the GoE

_A/N: Sorry this has taken a while to get out… but it really has had no inspiration at the moment, you know? I've been relatively without a computer as well- compliments to the jerk who calls himself my step-father… He decided that he would have his office in my dining room… so I lost all computer access… This chapter is being written in school, and will hopefully be one of my better ones. Don't forget to review for me now! Boost my esteem I got like one review on chapter 8… I suppose that maybe it is punishment for the slow updates?_

_Must reads:_

_Expect the Unexpected _

_Koukyuu no Toriko_

_A Forgotten Memory_

_Pirates of the Caribbean Inuyasha Style_

_A Path Worth Retracing_

_Hate is Only Skin Deep_

_My Memory's Heartache_

_Full Metal Hakusho_

_Recap:_

_Kara lashed out grimly at the three vampires who were doing all they could to dodge her attacks, "What the hell is this!" Haranobu exclaimed as his leg was pierced by an unknown blade._

_"You bastards will pay for the lives that you have taken." Kara's voice was dull and monotonous as she stepped towards them, a deadly look in her eyes._

_&_

_Winry sighed heavily as she sat under the stars, gently caressing the slowly growing swell in her belly. She smiled softly, remembering the eve that the child had been created. It had only been several months after their kidnapping- after she and Ed had confessed their love for each other. Passion had taken hold of them again._

_She stood slowly, stretching as early dawn began to mingle with the night, she needed to sleep at least a little that night, if not for herself then for the child growing within her womb._

_Now:_

"So the GoE finally reveals her true self." Haranobu sneered, causing Kara to falter in her onslaught of alchemic created weapons.

"True- self?" She questioned, "What are you talking about?"

The three vampires guffawed and in unison spoke as though she should have known what they were talking about- should have known her true self, "She doesn't know!"

Kara frowned and dropped the large scythe that she had created, her eyebrows creased in frustration as she crossed her arms, "Doesn't know what?"

"You, girl, are destined for great things." Seiryo poked her in the side, receiving a threatening glare, "Didn't you ever wonder? Just why it was that your alchemy was so different from all others- that even when you didn't wish it, it was brought on anyhow? You are the apocalypse dear girl. The end of the world as known by the humans is contained within you and you alone."

"No!" Kara gasped, taking a frightened step backwards, "I would never-"

"Not now you wouldn't you simple fool, why is it that you think Atsutane was bent upon turning you? By destroying your humanity he would ultimately contain the fate of the world." Hirotsugo sighed heavily, "Really, you ought to know of it, I find it amazing that you didn't know of your own fate."

"I _control _my fate- I do not live by simple 'prophesies'." Kara snarled, yet she still stood frozen- rooted to her spot upon the train tracks, _what if it is true? _Doubt rang clearly through her mind, _what if she was to destroy the human world?_

"Already you doubt your own words, for you know that we speak the truth." Seiryo stood straighter, more confident in his words, he breathed in the heavy scent of the pungent fear that radiated about her.

"No you lie!" Kara was only then able to force herself to move, "I will never!"

Her heart raced as she dove past the startled vampires- they had expected her to attack them and thus were ready to counter her. They stood still- frozen with indecision as she ran from them, out into the wasteland that offered no shelter from her plight. Dust was kicked up by her heals as she moved through the sand, the searing sun beat down upon her and she cursed ever leaving Central.

Kara knew that it would not be long before the vampires would once more take up the trail, sure her actions had startled them, but it would not keep them prone for long. Even now she could hear their feet dimly pounding a little distance behind her. She was desperate, and did not know where she would go.

_With The Ed, Hughs, and Mustang_

As soon as the small car had stopped, before that even, Ed dove from the vehicle. He stared now at the abandoned train, a feeling of dread rose within him and he looked at the surrounding area. "Ed." Hughs' voice was slightly tentative as he came to a halt at Ed's side.

"Don't do anything stupid." Mustang called from behind them, "it looks as though they've left, but we cannot be sure."

"Kara!" Ed's voice echoed back to them, and he gave a small shiver at the hollowness in it.

The train was explored, and with the exception of a few spatters of blood here and there nothing was found. "Damn it!" Ed growled as they stepped into the very front car, the windshield had been shattered and the tracks before the train was a mass of twisted metal, Kara had definitely been fighting there.

"Jeez, does she even know how _not _to destroy everything?" Mustang muttered as he looked at the mess, "or at least to fix it before she leaves?"

"She didn't kill any of them." Ed said in frustration.

"How do you know?" Mustang retorted, "Their bodies turn to dust when they are destroyed."

Ed shook his head impatiently, "the air is too pure, it is untainted by the foul scent that they release when they are destroyed."

Hughs sniffed at the air, though he still did not quite understand the conversation between the elder Elric and Mustang. After all he had not been their when the lead vampire had been taken down.

_Back with Kara_

Although she ran hard Kara's feet grew weary and eventually her pace began to lag. The sky had clouded over as late afternoon led into early evening, and a light rain began to fall from the sky, cooling her burning flesh and quenching her dire thirst. Laughter sounded about her and she knew that the vampires were just playing with her now, waiting for her to weaken all the more so that she would be an easy prey. She brought her hands together as her feet slipped from beneath her, creating a cavernous hole in the earth beneath her. Kara closed the hole above her head and fell into the black oblivion.

"Kara." The whispered word caused the hairs on the back of her neck to rise, and quickly she stood, dazed slightly by her fall.

"Y-you're dead!" She screamed uselessly into the shadows, "Ed killed you!"

"Tsk, tsk… Did you really think I'd die so easily? Why certainly I was shocked, and half dead of course. But I am a vampire, I am immortal!" Atsutane howled with laughter, delighted at the shock and fear that emmitted from Kara's aura, "I am no fool, did you not think that I'd not prepare for such a situation?"

Kara shook her head in shock, she could not see him, but she knew that Atsutane could not be standing more than five feet from her. His fingers brushed against her cheek and she could practically feel him smirking. Angrily she slapped his hand away and took another step backwards. "I must admit," He chuckled, "when first I met you I thought you to be an ordinary, scrawny child. Never did I think that you were the key to the domination of immortality."

His footsteps echoed as he moved about, pacing with excitement. Silently Kara brought her hands together and knelt down slowly, so that her movements went unmonitored as Atsutane continued to gloat. For a brief moment the cavern was lit, and she caught a glimpse of Atsutane's face, he looked stunned, blinded by the light before a horrendous growl escaped his lips, "Damn it!" He roared, "can't you be an agreeable captive for once!"

His voice echoed and Kara's ears rang from the sound. She was barely able to percieve his attack and dive to the left before he was on her again, she being at a great disadvantage because she could not see in the gripping darkness. In a last attempt at fleeing she clapped her hands together and threw them to the floor, the great roof of the cavern split and large clods of dirt spilled into the room below, choking off all sight for the both of them for several long minutes.

Kara finally ascended from the pit, breathing deeply of the fresh, rain filled air. She dragged herself to her feet, leaning heavily on the intricately designed scyth that she had created before limping farther on her plight for freedom. The heat of the day was still upon her, and after only a few minutes Kara found that she was perspiring heavily and was in need of a short rest. Immediately she sat down in the mud where she stood and wrapped her aching arms about her small knees. The scyth sank slightly in the mud beside her, and her clothes were soaked fully through. _Why? _Kara thought dully, glaring at the pools of water before her tiredly, _why am I running from them?_

Her chest heaved and her eyebrows furrowed in deep thought, why _was _she running? Hadn't she left the others so that she could pursue the vampires? She knew that she could beat them, maybe not in strength, but she could assuredly outsmart them. But Kara was shaken up, Atsutane hadn't died, he was still alive, and still pursuing her. She could still see the partially decaying flesh that lingered still upon his face. Somehow he had survived the wound in his chest, though it _had _taken its toll upon him.

The rain fell heavier still, and with a sight Kara dragged herself solemnly to her feet. There was not much time before they would find her again, and either she would get up the gumption to kill them, or her humanity would be destroyed. She clutched her scythe tightly in her fingers and began once more to trudge through the ever growing puddles that would undoubtedly be evaporated before noon the next day. In exhaustion she collapsed and fell into restless dreaming.

_With Winry_

The rain had been falling for hours, and even then she still stood just outside the safety of the house. Winry felt a pang of despair rising in her heart and she could not understand it. _Ed, you had better not get yourself killed! _She thought angrily and yet with great sincerity. "Winry dear, it's raining!" She was called to from the house and she turned in surprise.

Her hair clung to her face in little ringlets as she ran to the house, her footsteps slightly uncertain for the moment and gave one last look of concern to the outside world where Ed still traversed. Finally she turned her back and stepped through the threshold, not daring to give yet another look back for fear that she would see something awful.

_Song lyrics: Stay in The Rain, by Klaha (I dunno, it just sort of seems to fit with the situation, also, sadly enough, I do not own these lyrics.)_

rain

ame no hodou hitori aruite iru

still rain

naki-tsukarete kosureta koe tsubuyaku you ni

anata ga itsu mo kuchizusande ita

ano uta wo tadotte miru kedo

stay in the rain

anata wo omou hodo

tsuyoku uchi-tsukeru ame-oto ni kiete yuku

natsukashii anata no nukumori...

wasuresou na no

with the pain

rain

mitsume-atte hohoemu hibi wa

mou omoide ni

still rain

te no hira kara kobore-ochita yasashisa wo

sagashite mite mo doko ni ite mo

kurushikute nige-dashitaku naru dake

stay in the rain

anata wo omou hodo

tsuyoku shime-tsukeru setsunai ai dake ga

ima watashi no kokoro ni nagarete...

kowaresou na no

with the pain

owaranai ame ga

mune no naka kokoro wo fukaku shizumete

stay in the rain

anata wo omou hodo

tsuyoku uchi-tsukeru ame-oto ni kiete yuku

natsukashii anata no nukumori...

wasuresou na no

with the pain

you're still in my heart...in the rain

_A/N: Well, that's it, I hope that you all like it and review for me. Again I apologize for the delay and promise that the next chapter will be updated when I get some reviews… Seeing only one in the last chapter made me very sad TT. A cookie for those who review!_

_Chapter 10: Mortal Vengeance_

_The ultimate battle has arrived- will Kara succeed in destroying the vampires? Or will they turn her into one of them and ultimately bring about the end of the world? Tune in next time to find out!_


	10. Chapter 10: Mortal Vengeance

Chapter 10: Mortal Vengeance

_A/N: Well, here's the next chapter, I certainly hope that it was not delayed for very long! Remember to review for me and I'll try and update faster. You guys inspire me to write…_

_Disclaimer: I've said it all before… _Receives glares from several guys in black suits who cross their arms. _What? Fine… _Sighs _Yeah, well no matter how much I dream it, I do not own Full Metal Alchemist… Are you freaking happy? _Glares back at the guys who smile strangely and nod before disappearing. Whispers: _Actually, I do own them- Aaaarrrrrrgggggghhhhh! _Tackled by the guys because they heard her.

One stands up and clears his throat. _We are experiencing technical difficulties, please be patient for a moment._

Several Minutes later:

Whimpers. _I d-don't own it, sorry for leading you guys on. _Shifty gaze _They just want me to say that, so don't pay it any mind… _Runs and shouts _On with the story! _Chased away.

_Must reads:_

_Expect the Unexpected _

_Koukyuu no Toriko_

_A Forgotten Memory_

_Pirates of the Caribbean Inuyasha Style_

_A Path Worth Retracing_

_Hate is Only Skin Deep_

_My Memory's Heartache_

_Full Metal Hakusho_

_Recap:_

"_You, girl, are destined for great things." Seiryo poked her in the side, receiving a threatening glare, "Didn't you ever wonder? Just why it was that your alchemy was so different from all others- that even when you didn't wish it, it was brought on anyhow? You are the apocalypse dear girl. The end of the world as known by the humans is contained within you and you alone."_

"_No!" Kara gasped, taking a frightened step backwards, "I would never-" _

"_Not now you wouldn't you simple fool, why is it that you think Atsutane was bent upon turning you? By destroying your humanity he would ultimately contain the fate of the world." Hirotsugo sighed heavily, "Really, you ought to know of it, I find it amazing that you didn't know of your own fate."_

_As soon as the small car had stopped, before that even, Ed dove from the vehicle. He stared now at the abandoned train, a feeling of dread rose within him and he looked at the surrounding area. "Ed." Hughs' voice was slightly tentative as he came to a halt at Ed's side._

"_Don't do anything stupid." Mustang called from behind them, "it looks as though they've left, but we cannot be sure."_

_The rain had been falling for hours, and even then she still stood just outside the safety of the house. Winry felt a pang of despair rising in her heart and she could not understand it. Ed, you had better not get yourself killed! She thought angrily and yet with great sincerity. "Winry dear, it's raining!" She was called to from the house and she turned in surprise._

_Her hair clung to her face in little ringlets as she ran to the house, her footsteps slightly uncertain for the moment and gave one last look of concern to the outside world where Ed still traversed. Finally she turned her back and stepped through the threshold, not daring to give yet another look back for fear that she would see something awful._

_- that was an attempt at recapping the entire chapter by picking a few paragraphs here and there like they usually do it on television XDDD_

_Now:_

Daylight came, and with it the rain ended and once more sand blew across her path. Kara shivered, but she continued to walk with waning hope of reaching a populated area. No creature dared scurry across her path, and for that she was envious. She wished desperately to be hidden in a cool hole until the icy claws of night would draw her forth.

"Kara."

"_Kara!" _She heard their taunting calls and turned with a growl to confront them.

"Come out you bastards!" She howled her voice cracked with thirst, "come out and fight!"

Laughter sounded and her muddled mind grew ever more livid with rage. The heat shimmered in the air, and for a brief moment she caught sight of a wisp of fabric, she stabbed at it and came away having failed in catching it. "Too slow…" The voices spoke in unison and Kara turned slowly, trying once more to catch sight of them.

Kara lashed out at the air and caught flesh, there was a howl of pain and a grin graced her lips, "Not so fast as you thought!" she called to the wind, staring at the small smear of blood upon her blade.

"It was just a lucky shot." Hirotsugo said defensively from her left, and again she lashed out with her scythe without hesitation.

Hirotsugo collapsed in a writhing heap at her feet, blood pouring from a gaping wound in his stomach. His eyes glazed slightly and he looked at her darkly. Kara stuck out her chin and lifted the scythe for the death blow- only to have it yanked from her arms and thrown uselessly to the ground several feet away. "What're you going to do now?" Seiryou laughed tauntingly, "now that your precious weapon has been taken?"

Kara sighed and her shoulders slumped. Suddenly she could see a flash of red from beneath her eyelids, and she snapped her eyes open just in time to see Hirotsugo's body explode in a mass of flesh and blood. She stared in shock at the dark man that stood before her, grasping his right arm and taking shallow breaths, as though he had been running.

"S-scar?" She gasped in disbelief.

He turned, a deep frown apparent on his face, and she could clearly see the cross-shaped scar that covered his face and had given him his name. "Get your weapon, fool." He said simply, and she nodded before gulping and diving for the weapon.

"I think not." Atsutane stood before her, his arms crossed and a dark gleam in his eyes, "You're ruining our fun!" He growled at Scar, who had turned and stood now facing him.

Scar's defenses were far from being let down, as Seiryou dove for him from behind he stepped to the side and brought his hand down, barely missing the vampire as he dove from beneath Scar's hand and what would have inevitably been his death.

"So we'll have to wait." Atsutane taunted, "But that doesn't mean that we won't be back for you Kara- The mortal world _will _come to an end."

As swiftly as they had come they were gone, and Kara was left standing near a rather baffled Scar, their trail had disappeared and they were left standing in the searing sun for nearly ten minutes. Scar's frown deepened and he turned to Kara, "what did he mean that the mortal world will come to an end?" He asked impatiently.

Kara wasn't sure how exactly to answer and instead shrugged, a flush, whether it be from fever or embarrassment crept into her face was uncertain. "They're the generic 'I want to take over the world' type." She said at last.

"How are you involved with them?"

"Could this conversation wait until we get out of the sun?" Kara said breathily, wiping her brow impatiently.

Instead of answering he turned on his heel and led her farther into the hellish oven, and without question she followed him with faith that he would find shelter. He did, after nearly an hour's grueling pace, lead her into a small camp where several ragged tents huddled together in the meager shade that an outcropping of rocks provided. She saw several dark faces peer out at her from within them with slight curiosity. Kara straightened her walk, refraining from slouching in utter exhaustion.

Scar led her into a tent that was slightly larger than the rest and sat cross-legged on a thin mat, indicating that she do the same. "You wanted to know how I was involved with them." Kara started finally in a soft voice, "Several years ago, when I first became a state alchemist I was assigned to finding and destroying them… In the end I could not kill them and instead banished them from the country." She looked at her fingers, which were clasped tightly in her lap, "they came back, as they swore to me then, and left a trail of carnage behind them. It is now solely my duty to find and destroy those that remain."

"What makes you think that you are the _only _one that has the right to kill them?" Scar asked slowly, choosing his words with care.

Her eyes narrowed and she glared at him, "Because it is my fault- whatever they have done since I let them go. Every death, every torture that they have performed, ever atrocity is _my _fault. If I had been able to kill them then none of this would have happened."

"That," He said, "was not your fault I am certain. You were a child, younger than you are now, innocent."

"Innocent enough to kill a murderer," She scowled at him, "Aritomo Mitsubishi, the murderer of my family and the cause of my present predicament." She glared at the metal of her arm, allowing her eyes to wander down to her interlaced fingers, "I did a foolish thing and tried to bring my parents back to life- both of them at the same time and lost so much in the process." Her smile was watery and her vision blurred with tears, "I didn't join with the military to become their 'dog' I did it to find the philosopher's stone. I have found a lot of things that I shouldn't have learned about, and now I'm trying to fix my mistakes, and to save the lives of thousands- millions even- of people that are to be used for new stones."

She stood then, swiftly and rather shocking even to herself and fled from the tent, back into the desert wasteland and beyond, not taking heed of anything that she passed as the sun beat down on her. Kara finally collapsed in sheer exhaustion and lay gasping upon the scorching sand. Great thirst built up in her, and she swallowed shallowly, cursing herself for being dumb enough to run.

In the shimmering heat she saw two figures approaching her, and gasped, wiping the sweat from her eyes and allowing her tears to overflow once more, "M-mother? Father?" She gasped in disbelief before shaking her head, it was impossible, they were dead.

"Kara dear!" Her mother smiled and opened her arms to her, "come here sweety." She cooed, "Your father and I have missed you so!"

"Mom!" She sobbed, dragging herself to her feet slowly, "how?" She sputtered, "Aritomo killed you and I couldn't bring you back, I couldn't do it!" She dove into her mother's arms, half hoping that she was really there and half hoping that it was just a mirage and that she would fall foolishly back into the scorching sand.

Their bodies collided and she was brought into a tight embrace, closed in by both mother and father. "There is something that you must know, young one." Her mother pulled her back, a shocking look of coldness upon her face.

Kara immediately pulled away and looked at them both, "What must I know?" She whimpered, fearing the answer that she thought was coming.

"Our names dear." Her father reached forward to touch a lock of her hair and immediately pulled himself back.

"But I know your names." Kara said in confusion, "I know them already."

"I am known as Avarice (Avarice is another word for Greed, and it is a bit more feminine, ne? I thought it to be more fitting),"her mother said softly.

"And I am Wrath." Said her father.

Kara stayed silent for a moment before gasping, "you are... you are homunculi then?" She questioned ruefully, feeling her heart breaking.

"We are." Said Wrath, "We came to ask you to do something for us- to create the Philosopher's Stone, so that we might become human."

"We're not asking," Avarice said boldly, "as your parents we are demanding that you create it."

"No." Kara said simply.

"No?" Avarice smirked and took a threatening step towards Kara, "you think that you have a say in the matter?"

"I don't take orders anymore. Maybe once you were my parents, but no longer. You are just another of my mistakes that must now be taken care of." Kara pulled her hands together slowly, as though there were something holding them apart and solemnly touched the ground, drawing forth her favorite scythe.

"Why you insolent child!" Avarice growled, her eyes glinting, "Do you really think that you can kill us with tha-"

Kara closed her eyes tightly and drew the scythe across both their throats, cutting deeply and watching remorsefully as their bodies sagged and fell to the sand. She turned to go, knowing that she didn't have much time to flee before they awoke.

&

Ed wiped the perspiration from his forehead and looked about, "Sand, sand, and more sand..." He growled, "just what we needed."

"If you'd quit complaining it would be so bad." Mustang muttered, taking a long gulp from a canteen that was at his side, "and you would realize that there is a giant hole in the sand- strange that it hasn't been filled-"

"Then-" Ed gasped and dove to the edge, touching the hardened sand thoughtfully, "She was here, I know she was. Kara!" His voice echoed back but he received no other reply.

"She went on." Hughes said, shielding his eyes from the blinding sunlight and pointing to the slight impressions in the sand, "we're lucky that no wind has blown through here or we probably would have gone in the wrong direction.

A figure was fast approaching them, and because of the haze of the heat, they could not tell who it was or if it was even real until the small form collided with the three of them, gasping for breath, "You- you're really here!" She gasped, touching all three delicately with her fingers, "I thought for sure that I must have been dreaming or something of the like."

"Get off!" Ed exclaimed, pushing her from him, "Kara?" He blinked before turning red with rage, "damn it, why did you run off like that? You could have been killed!"

"Oh don't go acting like a Saint _Mr. _Elric." She hissed, "You've gone off on your own for dangerous things quite often."

"Can we get out of this _oven _now?" Hughes asked at last, "we're out of water, and it's almost nightfall."

"Come on you two," Mustang said, "We're going back to Central."

"How about we just go back to the train and rest for a few minutes?" Kara said, caving slightly, "I don't want to go back to Central just yet."

"Yeah, I want to hear what Kara has to say-" Ed glared at her, "about _why _she decided to sneak out."

_At the Train, several hours later_

A refreshing breeze cooled the weary travelers as they sat in an abandoned car. They took a moment to settle in and to catch their breath. "Alright, spill it." Ed said at last, breaking the standing silence.

Kara sighed and averted her eyes from theirs, "they were my responsibility." She said with a shrug, "I failed in killing them before. What they have done since is my fault…"

"That doesn't matter!" Ed burst out, "we were going to go _together_, that way there was no risk in getting killed."

"I'm sorry." Kara hung her head, before remembering something, her words became breathy, "I saw Atsutane…"

"That's impossible." Mustang said, "Elric killed him months ago."

"He told me that he had planned his 'death'." Kara said, "That he really wasn't that easy to kill. But Scar managed to kill Hirotsugu with his alchemy, so maybe it isn't as impossible as we thought."

"Or maybe it is even more so." Hughes said thoughtfully, "Hirotsugu was one of the lower members, right?"

"Yes." Kara looked at him, puzzled.

"So maybe that's why it was so easy to kill him." Hughes continued.

Kara's eyes widened in understanding, "Seiryo was a step up from Hirotsugu and he was able to dodge Scar's attack easily." She moaned, "Damn these impossible creatures!"

"Well then we need a plan." Mustang said, "It was stupid running off on your own like that, what did you hope to accomplish with such a rash decision but your own demise?"

Kara flushed a brilliant crimson, realizing that she _had _been foolish. "I was only thinking of all of the pain that they had caused." She whispered, "I wanted to avenge those that were killed or hurt by them."

"We need to find out what their weaknesses are." Mustang said.

"Even the homunculi have weaknesses." Ed said, "You need only get a piece of _what _they were meant to be. Like a piece of their old body."

Kara stiffened at Ed's mention of the homunculi, and she thought for a moment that he knew about her parents- not her parents; those _things _didn't even have souls. She heaved a great sigh and knew that she would have to return to her accursed home very soon.

"What's the matter?" Hughes had caught her look of distaste.

"Nothing," Kara gave a wide yawn and stretched, "just… tired."

"Sleep for a while then." Mustang said, stifling a yawn of his own.

"Maybe we should get going." Ed said, "I left Alphonse in Central."

Kara perked up immediately; she still hadn't seen Alphonse, "Then let's go!" She stood up and ushered them to their feet as well, "Can I drive?" She asked, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"No." Mustang said with a smirk, "I'm driving, and besides, you're too reckless."

"Oh man…" Kara said sheepishly, "I just like to get where I am going quickly."

"We'll get there soon enough." Mustang led them out to his small car and the four of them piled in and headed off towards Central.

_A/N: Well, there you have it, chapter 10! I really would have liked to get more than 1 review, but if I update a little more often perhaps more people will begin to read it again. Anyway, review for me!_

_Chapter 11: Unknown prisoners…_

_Kara and the Elrics go to her house- rather grudgingly on their part- so that she might be able to find a few original pieces of her parent's bodies. What they find is that the Vampire gang has decided to make her home their base and now the group is trapped inside. They are the unknowing vampires' prisoners, Alphonse and Ed learn why the vampires are so interested in Kara, what will they do? Tune in next time to find out!_

_Alright now, you know that that button is calling you!_

_I hope to hear from you guys soon!_

_Ja ne,_

_Aka-chan_


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